The Last Stage in Securing the Border
The first step in ending the fentanyl epidemic
In 2016, I met Murry and Judy at their Ranch, just miles north of the New Mexico-Mexico border. As I approached their ranch house, their cattle dogs greeted me while their Chihuahua yapped incessantly from inside. They explained that the Chihuahua would bark at night if there was any "rattling." Initially, I assumed this referred to rattlesnakes, but they clarified—it was illegal immigrants checking doors and windows in the dark. As night approached, they invited me to dinner, but I declined. The thought of traveling over an hour in darkness, without cell service and a sidearm, was unsettling.
In 2017, I attended a joint border task force meeting in Deming, NM. Ranchers like the Johnsons shared their struggles—barbed wire fences constantly knocked down, allowing diseased Mexican cattle to infect their herd. The border supervisor’s only solution? Another committee. Congressman Pearce’s office suggested a protest to get Congress’s attention.
The Trump administration spent months negotiating a bilateral border agreement with Mexico. By December 2018, it became evident that an agreement wasn't possible. Instead, the U.S. implemented a unilateral policy—processing asylum seekers in the U.S. before returning them to Mexico. By spring 2019, Central and South Americans realized the door to the U.S. was closing, leading to a surge at the border.
By May 2019, the Border Patrol was dropping off 250 illegal immigrants daily in Deming, NM—a small town of just 15,000 people. The overwhelmed community quickly established a waystation to help immigrants move on to their final destinations. During my visit, I saw a town doing its best to provide humanitarian aid but struggling to address concerns like communicable diseases and human trafficking.
A Start and a Stop Before the End
Securing the border was a key promise of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Within 20 months, the first section of the border wall was installed, with President Trump personally signing it.
On July 15, 2019, the DHS and DOJ announced a new rule: asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border would be ineligible for asylum if they had not first applied in another country. This measure brought order to the border.
By the end of Trump’s first term, nearly 750 miles of border wall had been installed, including new, replacement, and under-construction sections. Some existing fencing had been so ineffective it couldn't stop cattle, let alone illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.
Within weeks of Joe Biden’s inauguration, his administration reversed these policies. Construction halted, leaving gaps in the wall. The "Remain in Mexico" policy ended, and charter flights transported illegal immigrants into the U.S. This led to the largest migration wave—both legal and illegal—in U.S. history.
President Trump’s Last Chapter on the Border Wall
My business took me back to the border in February 2025. I called my good friend, Judy, to check in. She informed me that trucks and workers were moving dirt at the border. Driving into Hachita, NM, I saw construction water trucks lining up at the town’s water tank. I followed one of them east—until we arrived at the border.
Stepping out of my pickup, wearing my hard hat, old safety vest, dusty blue jeans, and boots, I struck up conversations with the staff. We discussed our past projects, current builds, and future plans. Some even remembered voting for me in 2018 (I made sure to tell Marion about that!).
"How did you mobilize so many men and equipment from your corporate headquarters 1,000 miles away in just a few weeks?" I asked.
From what I gathered, preparations began in November. The team focused on key questions: What funds were available? Where was the stockpiled border wall material? Which gaps in the wall were the most problematic? Their pre-planning paid off, within days of Trump’s inauguration, workers and machines were on the move—first addressing the wall’s gaps, then planning to complete remaining sections as funding became available.
As I continued east along the border, I noticed a dust cloud in the distance, a truck heading west. Stopping at a stockpile of border wall sections, I saw the truck was on the Mexican side, carrying Mexican soldiers. Two of them stood behind the cab, weapons in hand. In all my years at the border, I had never seen the Mexican military patrolling it.
Looking Ahead
I am amazed at what Donald Trump has accomplished on our southern border in just a few weeks since taking office. But true success will be measured in the reduction of the number of young people dying of Fentanyl. Hopefully, I will never need to attend another friend’s son or daughter’s memorial service who died of a Fentanyl overdose.
I understand why the Democratic Party of New Mexico ignores the progress on the Southern Border. I do not understand why the Republican Party of New Mexico is not celebrating the change on our Southern Border.
It seems the Republican party of NM needs an overhaul.
Each member needs to realize it's about the people not about status and glory.
I got rebuffed when I volunteered to help - I didn't carry enough "status" for the intake gal.
I feel that -- There's minimal friendship and cooperation within the party.
They want you to be somebody before one is allowed into their little group.