BROOKS COUNTY, TEXAS (RFD NEWS) — Members of the South Texas agricultural community are reacting to a new announcement from Donald Trump outlining plans for an international effort to combat drug cartels operating across the Western Hemisphere.
Speaking at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral on March 7, Trump announced the creation of what he called the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, a military partnership involving representatives from 17 countries.
“We come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region,” Trump said.“We’re calling this military partnership the America’s Counter Cartel Coalition… The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all.”
Rancher Says Coalition Could Work
South Texas rancher Mike Vickers, who lives in Brooks County and participates in a volunteer border patrol group, says he supports the proposal.
“That is a very, very positive move. They can be friends of ours, and a coalition of all military personnel and law enforcement from those countries together could probably eliminate the cartels,” Vickers said.
Vickers says he has already seen significant changes along his ranchland since Trump returned to office.
“We never found or saw one single person coming through north of this checkpoint on 281. Totally dead. Totally nobody coming through. No gang members, no groups, nothing.”
Bipartisan Support for Targeting Cartels
Even some Democrats have expressed support for dismantling cartel operations. South Texas Congressman Vicente Gonzalez said he agrees with Trump on the issue.
“This is an issue that I agree with Trump on. We need to dismantle cartels. And every government in the Western Hemisphere should be on board or face sanctions.”Gonzalez also questioned why Mexico was absent from the summit, saying the country should be involved in any coordinated effort against cartels.
Ranchers Describe Years of Cartel Activity
Vickers says ranchers in South Texas have witnessed cartel activity firsthand for years, including dangerous conditions for migrants being smuggled across private land.
“Under Biden and Obama, we probably found as many as a thousand dead bodies — people left behind, people murdered — and then rescued hundreds of people that were cramped up, sick, dying,” Vickers said.
He says migrants often paid thousands of dollars to cartels for help crossing the border, enriching criminal organizations in the process. Vickers also claims some migrants he encountered came from countries far outside the Western Hemisphere.
“We’ve got pictures of individuals that acknowledge they were from Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, from all over the planet,” he said. “The Chinese, a lot of the Chinese — some of them spoke perfect English. Military-age Chinese males. We caught lots of those, big groups of them. ”While he says checkpoint activity still occurs, Vickers believes illegal crossings through private ranchland in Brooks County have largely stopped.
Frank McCaffrey reporting for RFD News.
