WASHINGTON, D.C.— Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) recently penned an op-ed for The Washington Examiner, detailing the astronomical price Texas ranchers are forced to pay in the wake of the historic crisis at our Southwest border.  

This op-ed follows the release of the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Phase Four interim report pursuant to the Committee’s oversight investigation into how the policies of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and President Joe Biden have facilitated and maintained the worst border crisis in American history. The report documents how the skyrocketing dollar costs of the border crisis could exceed $451 billion per year, not including the new and substantial costs forced upon farmers and ranchers along the Southwest border, who spend tens of thousands of dollars to repair fences damaged by human smugglers and trespassing illegal aliens. Read the full report here and Luttrell’s op-ed here.

Read highlights from the op-ed:

“Every day, the lives and livelihoods of people across this country are severely affected by the millions of illegal immigrants flooding into the United States. As revealed in the House Committee on Homeland Security’s investigation into the costs, causes, and consequences of the border crisis, this is especially true for those who make their living and feed their families on the front lines of this chaos.

“America’s farmers and ranchers along the southwestern border face the harsh reality of President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s border crisis every day as they are forced to bear the cost of the damage caused by illegal immigrants who trespass on their property attempting to evade apprehension by Border Patrol.

“The South Texans’ Property Rights Association, which represents 500 South Texas ranchers, said that although illegal immigrants trespassing on their properties has always been a problem, it is getting exponentially worse under this administration.

“This border crisis is costing farmers and ranchers a fortune, as illegal immigrants leave property damage, piles of trash, and damaged crops in their wake. These people must often spend their hard-earned money to secure their farms and ranches from the devastating consequences of Biden’s border crisis.”

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