Today's story comes from Texas rancher/writer Elizabeth Burns whom I asked to contribute a Dispatch from Tamaulipas. She keeps a blog from South Texas from where she chronicles the fiascos of the Texas oil fortunes, Rancho Los Malulos, an entertaining read.

THE BORDER REPORT

I live on a large ranch along the Texas border with Tamaulipas with my husband and two young sons. We moved here about three years ago. This place is interesting, to say the least. Sometimes it feels like a bit of a lobby for some international travel agency. Except the lobby is my ranch. We get to meet people from all over the world. Thousands of pilgrims stream through here on a weekly basis. Oddly, we have very few Mexicans. It’s about fifty percent Central Americans (OTM’s) and about fifty percent “exotics." That’s what the Border Patrol call them: Exotics: Chinese, Somalians, Iranians, and all sorts of folks from some country right next to Ethiopia that starts with an “E” and is in the middle of a civil war. Being that I am American, my knowledge of geography and world events is severely lacking. Maybe Eritrea? They are tall and very very black. So, when you see them strolling down the caliche roads, it’s a very National Geographic touch.

When I find people abandoned or lost in the brush, I always call Border Patrol. It’s my job as a law abiding citizen. Often, by the time we find people, they are ready to surrender. They have been left behind and are close to death. Others don’t want to go with law enforcement. They beg me to take them to Houston (Mecca for all pilgrims - a 350 mile drive) Or, they want me to call their coyote. But, I never do. I don’t want to get involved. It usually takes about two hours for Border Patrol to get this far out. If people don’t want to go with BP, they have plenty of time to abscond. If they wait for BP, I have time to visit with them. I asked one Bangladeshi fellow how he ended up in my pasture from Bangladesh. He spoke perfect English and had been to University in the States. First he went from Bangladesh to Pakistan. He said he had flown from Pakistan to Moscow on a 737 packed with other pilgrims. In Moscow, they got tourist permits for Guatemala. Again, they flew on chartered 737’s to Guatemala City. He took a bus from Guatemala to the Tamaulipan border. He said he had paid $43,000 up front for the trip. He was walking through our ranch with about 60 other pilgrims to bypass the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint. The Border Patrol helicopter arrived on the scene. Everyone scattered. He was traveling with his cousin and they stuck together. After a few days together wandering in the brush, he wanted to quit and followed some power lines to our house. His cousin didn’t want to give up and stayed alone in the brush. No telling what happened to him. Maybe he died? One time I was talking to a Border Patrol agent. He was asking if I carried a gun. I do. I told him I was really hoping that I never have to shoot anyone. I don’t want to be on the news as “American Rancher kills Exotic” with some racial spin. He just looked at me and laughed, “Are you crazy? No one is going to notice another dead body on your place.” We have never found a dead body but it’s a big place and we aren’t out in the brush that much. Apparently, dead bodies don’t last long because we have a lot of javelinas and coyotes. Since the Bangladeshi episode, we have put a fence around our house with 11,000 pulsing volts of electricity. Just ask for Buffalo grade hot-wire at your local Farm and Ranch. It’s a huge seller around here, even though no one I know raises buffalo. Not all the pilgrims are as polite as that guy from Bangladesh.