On his Arizona ranch, John Ladd has had enough of seeing migrants from neighboring Mexico encroach on his land. At 68 years old, this breeder from the southwest of the United States has only one word on his mouth: “protect himself”.
“I spend half my time repairing the damage caused by people crossing the ranch,” complains this American, who lives very close to the wall erected on the border.
Its fence was cut again recently.
“My cattle are running away and losing weight,” complains this mustachioed “rancher”, who wastes tens of thousands of liters of water per week because intruders cut the pipes used to water his animals for hydration.
“I am disgusted by Washington and by the Republicans and Democrats up there,” he confides to AFP, a few months before a presidential election in which immigration is emerging as a major issue. “They’re not doing anything to control the border.”
In fiscal year 2023, 2.4 million people were intercepted at the border with Mexico, a record number.
In the midst of this migration crisis, Mr. Ladd is currently closely following the high-profile trial of rancher George Kelly, accused of murdering a migrant who entered his land in January 2023.
This 75-year-old American, author of a novel in which a “rancher” takes justice into his own hands against smugglers, swears that he only fired his AK-47 assault rifle into the air to protect himself and his wife.
The prosecution believes that he directly targeted a group of migrants located about a hundred meters from him, and killed Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, an unarmed Mexican.
“Private property”
Mr. Ladd lives more than an hour’s drive from the scene of the tragedy and does not know George Kelly. But if he is convicted, it “will create a precedent,” he believes.
“There are a lot of people who have five or six hectares and who see illegal immigrants crossing their property. They will not be able to do anything to protect themselves,” fears the breeder.
For him, George Kelly “protected his wife and his property, and that is one of the great qualities of America: the ability to protect his private property.”
Bordered by purple-tinged mountains, the immense arid plains of Arizona have seen generations of bandits and outlaws pass by. In this “Wild West” setting, farmers often have a weapon at hand.
Today, they live to the rhythm of interventions by the border police, who play cat and mouse with the smugglers.
“At night (…) we go into the house and we don’t look outside,” says Kyle Best, another breeder.
On his Amado ranch, 160 kilometers west of Mr. Ladd’s, he sometimes finds “40 backpacks” on his property. At 55, the breeder has had enough.
So like many local ranchers, he will vote for Donald Trump in November rather than Joe Biden.
“It’s certainly the best way to solve the immigration problem,” he says under his wicker cowboy hat. “He showed it with the wall. He has a solution.”
“Cheap labor”
The former Republican president left his mark on the American psyche by trying to complete the wall that existed on the Mexican border.
To win back the White House, he took up immigration as his main issue, at the cost of very harsh rhetoric. Listening to the billionaire, many migrants are criminals, whom he described as “animals” in March.
“It is not inhumane,” says Mr. Best. “He’s just trying to protect our country.”
There is urgency, according to Mike Gannuscio, president of the Arizona Cattlemen’s Association. The George Kelly trial is just another reminder.
“If the government controlled the border, these people would not cross it and he would not have to fear for his life,” he criticizes.
For years, Congress has been unable to agree to reform the American immigration system. As a result, both parties are discredited in the region.
“My saying is that Republicans want cheap labor, Democrats want cheap votes, and America wants cheap tomatoes,” says Ladd.
Only the temptation of a strong man in the White House remains, for these front-line voters, tired of being accused of racism or xenophobia.
Smugglers “let” migrants die, recalls Mr. Ladd. “When you see a dead body on your ranch, it’s a game changer.”
