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Nogales, Arizona (CNN) – When migrants cross the Mexican border and enter Jim and Sue Chilton’s ranch, they take one of two paths. Those in plain clothes are heading west, looking for Border Patrol agents to turn themselves in and ask for asylum, the couple said. Others, wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying large backpacks, head north.
They wear plush sandals over their shoes to make them difficult to track. They stay away from the roads and opt for exhausting hikes up and down rocky ravines between mesquite trees and bushes to reach their destination.
The Chiltons acknowledge they have been there because their trips have been captured by hidden cameras the couple installed during the Obama administration. They say government agents have told them that the backpacks often contain illegal drugs such as fentanyl or cocaine. But the couple say they have been told that most of these smugglers are not caught. They are known as the “escaped” because they are seen approaching the border and then, literally, they escape.
But the Chiltons, and others here in this sparsely populated desert west of I-19, believe that will change.
Ranchers, Border Patrol agents, security guards and even the migrants themselves believe that Donald Trump’s second presidency is bringing a wave of heavy-handedness. And most people we met in southern Arizona say they were excited to see it.
leaving a door open
Trump’s border wall had extended five miles along the edge of the land the Chiltons lease from the federal government when President Joe Biden was sworn into office. Within hours of the inauguration, Jim Chilton said, work on the barrier had stopped completely, leaving 800 yards of open border along the property line. Sue Chilton calls it “the door.”
“That’s what it’s become,” he said. “Obviously, if you leave the door open in your house, where do people come in? Through the door.”
He said the end of the wall soon became the route for cartels bringing in groups of people. Those in civilian clothes addressed the agents, asking for help from the men and women in charge of transporting them to the processing centers. These migrants could have countless reasons for wanting to come to the United States. But for the cartels, the Chiltons believe, they were mostly a decoy to steal agents’ time and attention while drug carriers dressed in camouflage and slippers did their best to go unnoticed.
The couple claims Border Patrol agents told them that an average of 100 to 140 people crossed their ranch each day in April of this year. Two months later, Biden limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day and the number was reduced to about 25 a day, according to the Chiltons. But there are still too many for them and they say the executive action came too late.
“We currently have a tremendous number of really bad people coming through my ranch. It is dangerous, they often carry weapons. It is really necessary to secure the border on the border” said Jim, a fifth-generation rancher who keeps a rifle at his front door and drives with a gun in his truck for self-defense. He and his wife provide food and water to anyone who asks and recognize the plight of some asylum seekers. But it angers them that drug traffickers cross their lands with virtual impunity.
“The idea that people who pass by here, by my ranch, are coming to poison our people is very, very objectionable to me,” Jim said.
He welcomes Trump’s strong words about closing the border to illegal crossings, including sending in active-duty military.
“We must prevent drugs from passing through, and if the military is needed to do it, it must be done.”
The Chiltons’ support for Trump is no surprise: They had a prime speaking spot at the Republican National Convention this summer, between Tom Homan, now appointed as Trump’s border czar, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
And although they want the border wall to be finished, they continue to support legal immigration.
“I think immigrants are really an important part of America and have been historically,” Jim said. “Even Elon Musk is an immigrant. We currently admit about a million people a year, legally. Why not two million? But everyone who enters this country should do so legally.”
Closing the door
Hugo himself is an immigrant, but now he spends part of his free time in southern Arizona trying to prevent more people from entering.
Uruguayan by birth and naturalized American resident in Greenwich, Connecticut, he did not want to give his last name for fear that it would harm his business. He said it was easier for him, having first arrived as an exchange student in the 1980s and then being sponsored by an employer, but he said there are still opportunities to start a life in the US.
“I don’t think anyone has said we should have zero immigration, that’s what makes the country work and what makes the country great,” he said.
He sees his time with a surveillance group called Arizona Border Recon as his chance to give back to the country that opened its doors to him.
Tim Foley, the leader of the volunteers, said they were hoping to intercept about twenty fugitives they had spotted heading north into the U.S. If they found them, he said, he and his men would tell them to return, and he hoped they would. they did.
“When you’re standing there with some AR-15s and my guys are almost all combat veterans, so they know how to handle themselves, they don’t get nervous, they just stand there and say ‘Let’s go’ and it works,” he said.
Foley thought there would still be a need at the border even if Trump ordered the military to intervene.
“The only thing he could deploy is the National Guard, and I’ve been here through three National Guard deployments,” he said, adding, “It never happened” when asked if the troops could secure the border.
“It takes a certain mindset” to deal with the weather and terrain and stay on task, he said.
A Border Patrol agent, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told CNN that he and his colleagues were “very happy” that things are changing under the new Trump administration.
“She’s not going to be a federal babysitter anymore,” she wrote in a text message. “Agents want to be in the field doing their jobs. We have a lot of territory to take back from the cartels and the scouts they employ. It will take us a few months to find out the routes they use and the exploration locations… The checkpoints will be busy until (the cartels) understand that (the checkpoints) will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels will be happy for the help. “The border is in the worst state, the ugliest I’ve ever seen,” said Dannels, who has been in law enforcement for 40 years, the last 12 as elected sheriff of the border county east of Nogales.
He blames the Biden federal government for allowing this to happen, for making his county so dangerous that his subordinates have to focus on catching those who come to pick up the “escapers” instead of dealing with normal security responsibilities. such as investigating robberies, drunk or drugged driving, and domestic violence.
“We have had to change priorities because the biggest risk this county faces and has faced is the border. When you have – I hate to say it – repeat criminals who have a lot of criminal records (…) who come here to commit crimes, their crimes don’t stop at the border, they don’t stop at the county line, they bring stolen vehicles, weapons, warrants of arrest, whatever.”
Dannels said there are areas where fugitives hide in the bushes, waiting for a car to come, honk the signal and pick them up. As local law enforcement, they can stop suspicious vehicles and question drivers, although the Border Patrol must be called to deal with any undocumented immigrants.
Sheriff’s deputies often chase cars full of people who have crossed the border illegally, but Dannels says the moving part is almost always done by Americans. Of the thousands of people booked by his department for border-related crimes in the past 35 months, more than 90% were U.S. citizens, he said, including teenagers too young to even get a driver’s license.
The sheriff said his main hope was that the new Trump administration would at least engage on border policy in a way that he believed the Biden team did not.
“This border is a problem for the federal government, not a (problem) for local sheriffs. But once they take two or three steps in my county, it becomes my problem.”
A few dozen miles east of the Chilton ranch, where cattle grazed while Foley and his team waited to escape, and a few dozen miles west of Sheriff Dannels’ patrols in Cochise County, the border wall stands at along West International Street, on the outskirts of Nogales.
It is a place where families come to see each other and talk through the fence, as long as no police action is taken.
But it also continues to be a place where this week we have seen two people brazenly climbing the wall from the Mexican sidewho only stopped and left when they saw that we were recording them.
On a previous visit we witnessed a similar event, although then those crossing the border ignored our presence and continued climbing the wall until they entered the United States and fled.
If the added caution is a sign that things are changing as Trump prepares to retake power, migrants who have settled in the United States are wondering what else the future holds.
This week, a woman sat in a camping chair on the U.S. side of the border, chatting with her parents and sister across the fence. She said she had been able to make a living as an undocumented worker and hoped that would continue despite changes in the White House.
Her mother, on the Mexican side, thought it might be more difficult to get a visa to visit her daughter. It’s been 13 years since they could hug each other.
A man named Rafael approached the fence to celebrate his 34th birthday with his parents, brother and young son.
He said he spends the day working in construction before going straight home to stay out of sight and out of any potential trouble. “I stay at home, I go to work and I try to do my best and that’s it.”
Rafael said he has respect for Trump, despite new threats to his own livelihood. He believes his construction site would likely close if all undocumented workers were deported, since everyone on his team had arrived illegally.
But all he really wanted was to celebrate his birthday, as close to his family as possible. He ate cake on one side of the wall, his relatives did the same on the other side. And after picking up the trash, Rafael kissed his son’s finger, the only part of him that fit through the fence.
Given the diversity of experiences and perspectives along the border, do you feel like policies regarding immigration adequately reflect the needs and concerns of your community?
## Interview Guide: Life at the Border
This interview guide is designed to explore the experiences and perspectives of individuals living near and affected by the US-Mexico border, particularly in light of the upcoming presidential election and potential changes in immigration policy.
**Introduction:**
* Begin by introducing yourself and explaining the purpose of the interview.
* Emphasize the importance of hearing diverse perspectives on the complex issue of immigration.
* Assure the participant of confidentiality and their right to decline answering any questions.
**Section 1: Local Impact of Border Issues**
* **What are some of the biggest challenges that the border presents for people living in your community?** _(This open-ended question encourages the participant to share their firsthand experiences and concerns.)_
* **Sheriff Dannels mentions that immigration enforcement becomes his problem when migrants cross into his county. Do you think local law enforcement bears the brunt of federal border policy?** _(This question explores the perceived division of responsibility between federal and local authorities.)_
* **How has the presence of the border wall impacted your daily life and interactions with others in the community?** _(This focuses on the physical manifestation of the border and its effect on social dynamics.)_
**Section 2: Shifting Political Landscape**
* **What are your thoughts on the potential impact of Donald Trump’s return to the presidential office on immigration policies and border security?** _(This invites the participant to express their anxieties or hopes regarding the changing political landscape.)_
* **Do you believe your community’s voice is heard in the national conversation about immigration? Explain your answer.** _(This question explores feelings of representation and agency in larger political discussions.)_
* **How do you think the rhetoric surrounding illegal immigration affects the perception and treatment of undocumented individuals in your community?** _(This delves into the social ramifications of polarized political discourse.)_
**Section 3: Personal Experiences and Hopes for the Future**
* **Rafaels’ story highlights the delicate balance many undocumented individuals face: fear of deportation versus the need to work and support their families. What are your thoughts on this dilemma?** _(This prompts reflection on the human cost of restrictive immigration policies.)_
* **What are your hopes for the future of the US-Mexico border and the people who live there?** _(This invites the participant to share their vision for a more just and equitable future.)_
* **Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience living near the border?** _(This provides an opportunity for the participant to bring up any additional relevant points.)_
**Closing:**
* Thank the participant for their honest and insightful contributions.
**Note:**
* Remember to actively listen, show empathy, and avoid interrupting the participant.
* Adapt the questions and approach based on the participant’s responses and comfort level.
* Aim to create a safe and respectful space for open and honest conversation.
