Texas residents who live along the southern border spoke with Fox News Digital about how the ongoing border crisis has directly affected their lives.
"Personally, I think that we're going to see something similar to a 9/11 at some point in the future. Biden opened the door, folks," said Paul Henrich, a rancher in Quemado, Texas.
Van of Del Rio, Texas, said he witnesses crossings on a daily basis: "I see them crossing right past the sheriff and the Border patrol cells," adding it's a "daily occurrence."
This comes as 87% of voters say the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is an emergency (44%) or a major problem (43%). That’s an increase since February, when about 8 in 10 felt it was an emergency (41%) or major problem (37%), according to the latest Fox News national survey.
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Del Rio resident Diane, who lives right along the Rio Grande, said she carries a gun with her to feel safe and added that now "everyone is more cautious."
"You have to make sure all your doors, everything's locked up, because you never know," she said. "I've had smugglers throw three guys out right by my dumpster in the middle of the afternoon. He chunked them out. They rolled and took off running."
Her neighbors, Joe and Leiza, have had several run-ins with migrants on or near their property. Joe showed Fox News Digital a picture of a dead body that had bobbed along the surface of the river behind his residence. The man had laceration marks across his torso and his head was covered with a black garbage bag.
Joe also noted that he had fired off several shotgun rounds and chased off a Hellcat Dodge Challenger that had entered his driveway after dumping several people onto the nearby road.
Leiza also told Fox News Digital that Border Patrol had apprehended a migrant who was cleaning himself in a nearby portable toilet. The couple later learned that the man was a repeat sex offender from across the border.
The residents that spoke with Fox News Digital also expressed concern about high-speed chases that had occurred as migrants attempted to evade law enforcement at checkpoints adjacent to the river.
Homeowners said that migrants are aware of entry points along the border wall erected under the Trump administration. Several areas have segments of border wall lying on the ground in front of already installed fencing--unable to be raised because of federal policies.
Fox News Digital also discovered an old, abandoned bus that was filled to the brim with the clothes of men, women and children. Other clothing was found in the brush between various houses.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office stated in June that crossings along the Mexico-Texas border have decreased by 74% since implementing Operation Lone Star beginning in 2021.
Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to surge resources and law enforcement to the border. As part of that operation, he set up a buoy border barrier in the Rio Grande River, which sparked a lawsuit from the federal government.
Separately, the Biden administration has sued Texas over a recently signed anti-illegal immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. The administration says it interferes with the federal government’s authority and frustrates U.S. immigration operations and proceedings, in addition to hurting relations with foreign governments.
"Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden's reckless open border policies. Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden Administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country," Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze told Fox News in January.
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According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, Texas border encounters dropped in June of this year, and in July there were 46,250 encounters; this number does not include any gotaways.
Harris has sought to move away from her previous position on immigration as she leads the Democratic ticket in 2024. In 2020, she openly trashed the Trump border wall as a "complete waste of taxpayer money."
But Harris pledged last week to sign into law the border bill that was defeated earlier this year if she is elected president, according to Axios.
The bill, which Trump helped tank, would require hundreds of millions of unspent funds to be used on the border wall. However, according to Harris' advisers, the bill does not provide additional funding for the border wall.
Trump and several Republicans slammed the bill for a provision that includes shutting down the border only when 5,000 illegal immigrants a day cross the border, as well as the billions of dollars of spending attached that goes to Ukraine and Israel.
Fiscal year 2023 broke the record for encounters with over 2.4 million, while December had nearly 250,000 encounters in a single month.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Fox News' Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Heckman and Nikolas Lanum reported from Texas.
