近距离内射合集

DEMING 鈥� Farmers and ranchers in Luna and Grant counties are calling for state authorities to intervene as Customs and Border Protection proceeds with drilling new water wells 鈥� without permits or hydrological studies 鈥� in preparation for new border wall construction.

The Luna County Farm and Livestock Bureau organized a community meeting Thursday that drew hundreds of people from Luna, Do帽a Ana and Grant counties, as indicated on a sign-up sheet and by a show of hands during the meeting.

Three ranchers from Luna County and the Hachita area shared their observations of two wells, beginning several months ago, and their interactions with Arizona subcontractor Wyatt Drilling near their ranches. Evidence of several more wells has also come to light. 

The Department of Homeland Security and contractor Barnard Spencer Joint Venture are preparing to close gaps in the steel bollard fencing and add a second layer of barrier, fulfilling a signature objective of President Donald Trump.

A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said the water would be needed for 鈥渞oad construction, concrete production, and dust suppression.鈥� The agency did not respond to direct questions about the number of wells planned, how much water would be required or how much would be pumped.

State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson and the ranchers have engaged in meetings with border authorities to head off pumping operations and safeguard water resources that are already dwindling, but the county Farm and Livestock Bureau鈥檚 president, Russell Johnson, said public awareness and feedback were essential. 

Ranchers surveying the site said equipment sufficient for pumping 300 gallons of water per minute from the Hachita basin has been staged. The second sits further east over the Mimbres Basin.

Both wells sit on a 60-foot strip of land known as the Roosevelt Reservation, referring to President Theodore Roosevelt, who reserved the territory in 1907. The strip, which extends from New Mexico to California, is under military control per Trump鈥檚 January 2025 emergency declaration at the border.

During previous wall construction, the government purchased water locally or trucked it onto building sites for dusting, concrete mixture and other construction-related uses. This year, the government is drilling its own wells within land Roosevelt reserved as a buffer against international smuggling.

Rancher Joe Johnson said he was concerned that pumping in the area could depressurize a vital spring providing water for his home, business operations and livestock.

Zay Clopton, who operates an 80-square-mile cattle ranch near the town of Hachita, said several ranches as well as the town鈥檚 small population could be left dry by an aggressive pumping operation.

鈥淭he water is owned by the state of New Mexico 鈥� by the public of New Mexico,鈥� Clopton said. 鈥淲hat we all get are water rights, we get rights to use the water that we appropriate, and you have to appropriate it legally. The state engineer is tasked with managing this water regime 鈥� because everybody knows that we're going to run out of water someday, because most of these basins are getting no recharge whatsoever, and they get pumped.鈥�

Another rancher in the Hachita area, Isaac Hiebert, said he attempted to contact the agency with an offer to rearrange his operations and sell water from his own wells, but got nowhere.

鈥淭his is an incredibly important issue in the state, and we see how much it's affecting all of you, and how much it could affect all of you,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淲e really want to get this taken care of before it does.鈥�

On the other hand, Clopton and Johnson expressed dismay that the Office of the State Engineer seemed powerless to stop the private contractor from pumping.

鈥淲hy can鈥檛 I go out on my private property and just start drilling? Because I obey the law,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淭o me, this is a complete double standard.鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have an army to stop the federal government,鈥� OSE General Counsel Nat Chakeres responded. 鈥淲e鈥檝e ordered them to stop. They鈥檙e disobeying that.鈥�

The office鈥檚 enforcement power is through the court, Chakeres added, a process he said could take years with unpredictable results 鈥� and a slim chance of obtaining an injunction to stop the drilling in the meantime.

鈥淯.S. Customs and Border Protection is actively monitoring contractors鈥� groundwater use at each well and is coordinating with the State of New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a broader groundwater management strategy,鈥� a CBP spokesperson said in a statement for the Journal. 鈥淐BP鈥檚 goal is to minimize water use and to work collaboratively with local landowners to ensure that construction activities do not adversely impact their water needs.鈥�

The ranchers made clear that their support for building the border wall had not changed.

Republican lawmakers in attendance 鈥� state Rep. Luis Terrazas of Santa Clara and state Sen. Gabriel Ramos of Bayard 鈥� said the dispute here was not over border security, an issue where local ranchers for years have reported property damage and threats to their security due to unauthorized crossings and criminal activity.

New Mexico Cattle Growers鈥� Association President Tom Paterson said, 鈥淲e support the wall and we support Border Patrol agents being in that zone; but New Mexico Cattlegrowers is also committed to keeping ranchers on the landscape.鈥�

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat representing southern New Mexico, asked the USDA and Homeland Security a series of questions about the operations in a letter where he stated, 鈥淚 support securing our border. But it can be done without threatening ranchers, jeopardizing local water supplies, or ignoring the Americans who have stewarded this land for generations.鈥�

Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.