Life on America’s southern border can be tough on ranchers, and having to contend with violent Mexican drug gangs certainly doesn’t make things any easier.
Jim Chilton, a fifth-generation rancher, told ft.com that he routinely deals with cartel members crossing his land. “We live in an area controlled by the Sinaloa cartel,” Chilton said. “We have a mountain back here, Sinaloa cartel scouts resided on it. [On] all of the mountains back here, we’ve seen cartel scouts … In fact, they may be watching us now.”
With the Obama administration basically abandoning border country ranchers, they—like their ancestors often did—make due by taking care of themselves. “How do we protect ourselves? We pack guns,” Chilton said. “I have a gun with me everywhere I go.”
