The Real State of the Union: Texas ranchers sound alarm on border crisis
'Fox & Friends' host Carley Shimkus speaks to Texas ranchers who feel 'abandoned' by the Biden administration
Two Texas ranchers say they feel abandoned by the Biden administration as illegal immigrants cross through their property almost every day.
President Biden is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the Union address March 1, and critics question whether he will address the crisis at the border as critics say his administration has yet to take meaningful action to quell the flow of migrants.
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Marcus Canales and Stephanie Crisp-Canales told "Fox & Friends First" co-host Carley Shimkus that they noticed a spike in the number of illegal border crossings within a week after Biden took office.
"It was quick," Canales said. "Once everything got reversed by the swipe of a pen, the floodgates were opened."
Crisp-Canales said Biden sent a message to migrants that there would be no repercussions for crossing illegally.
"It was like a free pass to them," she said.
Crisp-Canales feels like the administration doesn't care about Americans living near the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Nobody's been down here," she said. "It doesn't seem that they're doing anything to help us"
The couple has posted ‘no trespassing’ signs and taken measures to dissuade migrants from entering their property, but Canales said it hasn’t helped.
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"When they’re evading the law in a stolen vehicle with 20 people in there, a sign isn’t going to do anything," he said.
Canales has had to repair his fences because of regular bailouts – a term used to describe a vehicle either stopping or intentionally crashing to allow migrants to ‘bail out’ of the car and run from law enforcement. Canales said trucks have crashed through his fencing in attempts to avoid police.
The family lives more than 50 miles from the border, but Crisp-Canales said safety is still a primary concern.
A sign just on the other side of the border fence warns of trespassing in Brownsville, Texas, on February 11, 2022. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
"You no longer feel really secure," she said. "You’re always looking over your shoulder."
She taught her daughters how to use firearms for self-defense in case someone were to attack or break into their home.
"We deal with it every single day, and it’s affecting us," she said. "We can no longer go somewhere as a family out to eat all together. Somebody has to stay behind."
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The couple had this message for the Biden administration: "Fix it."
"We need relief down here," Crisp-Canales said. "We needed it a year ago, but nothing has improved in a year’s time."
Tune in each morning to "Fox & Friends First" (4-6 am ET) to see the five-part series "The Real State of the Union," leading up to President Biden's address on Tuesday, March 1.
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