'We're Under Siege Here': Texas Rancher's Interview Interrupted by Feds Chasing Illegal Aliens
It looks as though ranchers can’t even give interviews now without President Joe Biden’s border crisis getting in the way.
Amidst one of the worst illegal immigration surges in recent United States history, one Texas rancher was reportedly interrupted mid-interview by Border Patrol agents on the hunt for migrants who had illegally crossed over the U.S.-Mexico border.
John Sewell’s interview began fine — Dana Perino, one of the hosts of Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” asked the rancher about his experience meeting with government officials to explain the reality of the ongoing border crisis in hopes that they might receive some assistance.
Sewell answered her, “The basic thing we got from this yesterday, unfortunately … we’re not going to get a lot of support from the CBP.”
“They basically said their hands are tied, and the best thing for us is to work with our state reps, our Congress, so on and so forth, local officials — and they are all doing as much as they can,” he continued. “I’m sure our local guys are just — are really going at it, wide open.”
“So, you know, it’s very unfortunate that we don’t have support from our CBP.”
“Very unfortunate” is a delicate way of putting it.
In defense of Customs and Border Protection, the surge the agency is currently attempting to deal with is bigger than anything it’s seen in the past three years. In March alone, over 170,000 immigrants were encountered on the southern border. The Epoch Times reported that, in the first two weeks of April, CBP encountered over 76,000 illegal immigrants.
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When media outlets call the situation on the border a “crisis,” it’s not partisan language but a statement of fact.
And, for the past three months, as the Biden administration continues to cram ridiculous legislation and guidelines down the throats of Border Patrol, ranchers like Sewell have had to deal with the consequences on the front lines.
As Perino began her next line of questions for the rancher, dogs were heard barking in the background and Sewell revealed that a group of federal agents behind him was searching for illegal immigrants on his property.
“Dana, I’m sorry,” he said. “I had a group of guys coming through looking for some immigrants. You’re gonna have to put it back at me again.”
Sewell continued, “I’m just gonna tell you that we don’t have, you know, we’re not getting the support as the U.S. This is not panning out good for us.”
“We’re under siege here.”
The rancher communicated to Perino that he had already caught three illegal immigrants on his property before breakfast that morning.
Sewell is absolutely right — he, and every other rancher dealing with Biden’s border crisis, is under siege.
Some ranchers have to travel their properties armed simply to protect their families, while others pay thousands of dollars in property damage thanks to high-speed chases. Meanwhile, the federal government hasn’t even recognized the crisis and has mocked Border Patrol in doing so.
Americans on the border are being treated as if they aren’t American at all.
When Sewell finds immigrants on his property, he told Perino, he’s anxious about his next steps.
“When you say that you’ve found three of them,” Perino asked, “then, what do you do?”
He replied, “Well, I mean, I obviously call the Border Patrol. That’s our first line of defense, and that’s another thing. You know, we’re nervous as to what we can get away with and what we can’t get away with.”
“These people have, it seems like, more rights than we do.”
The Biden administration’s attitude toward this crisis has consistently been one of complete and total apathy, and almost malevolence, toward the livelihoods of thousands of Americans — to the point where illegal immigrants are almost coddled by the U.S. government.
Sewell continued, “It’s very unfortunate that we’re having to battle this, and the CBP is telling us that all they do is enforce policy. Well, if the policy from the administration is catch-and-release, let’s say, because that’s all we’re doing.
“We’re taking them back to the border, testing some, testing maybe all — I don’t know the true answer to that — and turning them loose in the U.S. We’re not sending them back.”
And, as Sewell explained, they spread throughout the country.
The worst part of this rancher’s situation is evident in his occupation: Sewell is a rancher, and as Perino pointed out in the interview, he wants to and should be able to ranch. Instead, thanks to the abysmal policies of the Biden administration, he is forced to constantly be on the lookout for illegal immigrants simply to protect his own property.
Thankfully, with multiple Texas counties declaring states of disaster and requesting for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to deploy the Texas National Guard to assist in combatting the crisis, Sewell will hopefully receive assistance in the coming months — even if it does not come from the federal government.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
