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Borderwatch
03-28-2010, 01:44 PM
ttp://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/003355.html

Our prayers and thoughts go out to Bob’s family.

Bob KrentzThe body of Rancher Rob Krentz and his dog were found shot to death on his ranch. Krentz, who always was good-natured and willing to help people, had called in that he had found an illegal alien at one of his watering holes and was assisting him. That was the last that was heard from him before his body was discovered.

Rob Krentz was a lifelong rancher in Southeastern Arizona, 12 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border and 25 miles northeast of the city of Douglas. He was the father of three children. The ranch has been in his family for three generations, more than 100 years – since 1907, and sits on about 35,000 acres with 1,000 head of cattle. Running a ranch is hard work and with the influx of illegal aliens increasing, Rob was at ground zero of the stampede that is destroying the fragile desert landscape.

The Krentz family has received numerous threats in the past by illegal aliens trespassing on their property. In 2002, the family was physically threatened when one of them stumbled upon a group of 39 illegal aliens. They were told to get off the land and they made threats. The Border Patrol did catch the illegal aliens after they were called, but we all know that illegal aliens, if deported, come right back across.

In 1999, Krentz and his wife Susan did an interview with PBS when they came around asking about the issue of illegal immigration and its impacts on the local ranchers.

“We’ve been broken into,” Susan Krentz told PBS.

Rob and Susan Krentz

“One time,” Rob said “You know, we’ve personally been broke in once. And they took about $700 worth of stuff. And you know, if they come in and ask for water, I’ll still give them water. I – you know, that’s just my nature.”

In 2003, Congressman Tom Tancredo mentioned the challenges of the border ranchers, and in particular highlighted the the Krentz family’s plight.

“In the month of November, 2002, in the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol … where the Krentz ranch is located, the Border Patrol apprehended 23,000 border crossers,” Tancredo wrote. “many people would suggest that the [apprehension] ratio is just about maybe one in five, and that is a very conservative estimate. … I think it is closer to one in ten”.

That means in that sector alone for one month, 8 years ago, the most conservative estimate is that 115,000 illegal aliens crossed the border in that one chunk of land in the Tucson sector. All of the illegals are unknown.

Tancredo notes that the Krentz’s did mention to him that they called the Border Patrol. In one instance illegal aliens had butchered one of his calves.

In February [2002] … a calf was butchered by illegal alien trespassers. Two men responsible were caught. They were tried. They were found guilty. They served a total of 51 days in jail. They were also ordered to pay $200 in restitution to the Krentz ranch. The Krentz ranch has not seen a cent of that money; and, of course, our best guess is they will not because these people have been released. They either came back into the population up here in the U.S.A. or returned to Mexico.

Tancredo goes into the cases of deliberate sabotage of the Krentz ranch’s water supply and the other impacts on the Krentz’s by illegal aliens. You can read more, where Tancredo dubs the Krentzs American Homeland Heroes

6 years after the PBS interview, in 2005, Krentz did an interview with KOLD as the number of illegal aliens exploded.

“We’re being over-run, and it’s costing us lots and lots of money,” Krentz said.

“We figured it up over the last five years and it’s cost us over $8 million,” Krentz said. “Cattle don’t like people walking through, so they move. So, cattle weight loss, destruction of fences, breaking our pipelines, they break them in two and (the pipes) run for two or three days before we find it.”

Krentz went on to say that when he was a boy he actually knew the few illegal aliens that came through looking for work, he said it’s nothing like that now as hundreds of unknown illegals stream across his land.

Rob Krentz is just one of the many people who live and work along our southern border. A tough, hard working man who was trying to make a living and doing what he loved. Those who support illegal aliens will talk about “human rights”, but where were the “human rights” when it came to Rob Krentz? Where was the government to protect our border and prevent this from happening, though they’ve been told time and time again? They didn’t protect his property rights, nor his civil rights.

This country failed Robert Krentz, his family and all who work for him. As they have failed countless families all across this country. The number of deaths is estimated to be from 15-25 deaths caused by illegal aliens each day in this country.

It is not known yet whether Krentz was specifically targeted or whether it was just one of the hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who come across our border every year who have actual criminal records, but in the end does it matter? A hard working man was killed on his own land. And all for just trying to help out someone in need.

And that is simply outrageous.

Rest in peace Robert Krentz, the country will surely miss a great and kind man like you.

Borderwatch
03-28-2010, 01:45 PM
ttancredo
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Am at a meeting now at local rancher's home near Douglas, AZ with ten other ranch families. 7 minutes ago via web
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2.

found tracks again Believe he is still on our side prayers for family just talked to JD 18 minutes ago via mobile web
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going to visit family niw this is ginna be tough about 1 hours ago via mobile web
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they have lost hus tracks about 2 hours ago via mobile web
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am at the scene lonely place to die about 2 hours ago via mobile web
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barely alive when Sheriff got to scene Had to put it down we are almost at the scene Will take pictures and try to post layer about 2 hours ago via mobile web
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The son of a bitch shot Rob's dog too Was about 2 hours ago via mobile web
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He shot Rob's dog Was dying when Sheriff got to scene They put him down about 2 hours ago via mobile web
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Seven Sheriff Deputies just sped past us Hope they got him about 3 hours ago via mobile web
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God I hope they catch this bastard before he gets to Mexico about 3 hours ago via mobile web
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they a getting close to a capture Stay tuned WE NEED MILITARY ON THIS BORDER!! about 4 hours ago via mobile web
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he is heading for Mexico but may have about 4 hours ago via mobile web
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Found out I know the rancher killed by the illegal alien Am heading there now Apparently the illegal is heading back to Mexico They think about 4 hours ago via mobile web
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am Last heard from when he called Border Patrol to reports illegal aliens on his property about 7 hours ago via mobile web
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Was 2 meet today here in AZ with folks re violence on border Just got a call Brother of one of the mtg participants found shot to death thi

Borderwatch
03-28-2010, 02:05 PM
http://www.kvoa.com/home/


BREAKING NEWS: Southeastern AZ rancher found dead

Posted - 3/28/2010 at 3:10PM
images
BREAKING NEWS: Southeastern AZ rancher found dead

COCHISE COUNTY - News 4 has confirmed that a well-known rancher in Southeastern Arizona has died.

Investigators say the body of Rob Krentz was found Saturday night near his ranch.

Rancher Rob Krentz, Courtesy: sonoranalliance.comRancher Rob Krentz, Courtesy: sonoranalliance.com Saturday morning Krentz reportedly left the ranch on a quad and called home a short time later to report an illegal immigrant, whom he thought was in need of medical attention.

That was the last time anyone heard from him.

Investigators located Krentz alongside his dog who we understand had been shot.

News 4 has a crew working this story.

Check back for updates.

Jeanfromfillmore
03-28-2010, 04:52 PM
Longtime Douglas-area rancher killed
http://www.kgun9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12217645
(KGUN9-TV) - A longtime Cochise County cattle rancher was killed on his Douglas-area ranch, authorities confirmed. Rob Krentz was 58.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol spokesman Omar Candelaria said Sunday morning that Rob Krentz was found dead on his property northeast of Douglas at 1 a.m. Sunday.
At 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, the hunt for the suspect continued in the area.
Candelaria said the lead agency on the homicide is the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
Carol Capas, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department confirmed it was Krentz who was killed.
The Border Patrol is "assisting with resources and manpower," Candelaria said.
Neighbors of the Krentz's said a Border Patrol helicopter was in the air early Sunday looking for a suspect or suspects on the ranch. Others said the hunt for a suspect was being conducted also on horseback by experienced trackers from the area.
Krentz's ranch and family were inducted into the Arizona Farming and Ranching Hall of Fame in 2008.
The 100-year-old Krentz ranch was founded by Julius and Emma Krentz, who homesteaded the ranch at the turn of the 20th Century. The 35,000-acre ranch includes about 1,000 head of cattle, according to a story in the Douglas Dispatch in 2008.
Water on the ranch has helped create a wildlife habitat of some 25,000 acres for deer, javelina, mountain lion, antelope, dove and quail, according to that story.
Ranchers in the area who belong to a neighborhood alert group were notified by telephone about the incident. One rancher, Bill Wilbur, said he is wearing his pistol for protection.
Krentz was active in Arizona cattlegrowing organizations and he and his family support 4-H and the Future Farmers of America. Water on the ranch has helped create a wildlife habitat of some 25,000 acres for deer, javelina, mountain lion, antelope, dove and quail, according to that story.
Krentz was active in Arizona cattlegrowing organizations and he and his family support 4-H and the Future Farmers of America.
No information on the killing had been released by law enforcement agencies by 1:20 p.m. Sunday.
KGUN9's Linda Garrett is on her way to the Douglas area to report the story for KGUN's 5 PM and 10 PM news.

Don
03-28-2010, 06:21 PM
Who cares about one American murder victim. The FBI was in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio rounding up "militia groups" i.e. white people who own guns. No stories about raids of Mexican drug cartels that are targeting American citizens and American police.

The round ups are beginning.

Ayatollahgondola
03-28-2010, 06:29 PM
Who cares about one American murder victim. The FBI was in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio rounding up "militia groups" i.e. white people who own guns. No stories about raids of Mexican drug cartels that are targeting American citizens and American police.

The round ups are beginning.

So far I've only read a little about this, and nothing concrete to prove it yet. Do you have something I do not?

Kathy63
03-29-2010, 10:08 AM
So far I've only read a little about this, and nothing concrete to prove it yet. Do you have something I do not?

You must have a lot by now, this story is all over the place. Depending on which report you read this group was either planning on targeting law enforcement officers or making threats against muslim groups.

Simply because hispanic gangs have been targeting and killing American law enforcement officers for years without any investigtion I fail to see why the feds would investigate a group that hadn't done anything yet. Simply because mosques have been promoting beheading infidels since 2001, and actually killing Americans I fail to see why the feds would investigate a group that hadn't done anything yet.

Therefore I can only conclude that this group was targeted because they are white and Christian. If you have read reports you know they are charged with sedition. That is mightly peculiar since not even Jose Padilla was charged with sedition.

Jeanfromfillmore
03-29-2010, 10:31 AM
Please stay on the topic of the thread, which is the death of the rancher.

Jeanfromfillmore
03-29-2010, 04:30 PM
Arizona Rancher's Killing Sparks Calls to Beef Up Border Security
FOXNews.com
Three members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have asked for an increase in the Border Patrol's presence, and former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo called on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to dispatch the National Guard to the Arizona border
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is under pressure to beef up border security in the Southwest in the wake of Saturday's killing of a rancher in southeastern Arizona.
Three members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have asked for an increase in the Border Patrol's presence in the Boot Heel of New Mexico, about 10 miles from where the rancher was shot to death over the weekend. U.S. Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, along with Rep. Harry Teague, say Napolitano's agency needs to take more security steps.
And former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, called on Napolitano to "reject politics and do the right thing" by dispatching the National Guard to the Arizona border.
Cochise County Sheriff's Office deputies and detectives responded to an area northeast of Douglas on Saturday after searchers found the body of 58-year-old Robert Krentz inside his all terrain vehicle on his property. Detectives were able to determine that Krentz apparently came upon one person when he was fatally shot and his dog was wounded.
Cochise County investigators said Monday that Krentz likely was killed by an illegal immigrant, but there's no evidence to suggest there was any confrontation that led to the shooting.
Bingaman, Udall and Teague urged a forward operating station for the Border Patrol in the region. Such outposts put agents closer to the international border. Teague -- whose district includes the border area -- says a station in the Antelope Wells area would better protect people and property.
Tancredo, who attended a Tea Party event over the weekend in Arizona, blasted Napolitano for not doing more to secure the border.
“As governor of Arizona, Napolitano deployed the National Guard to help the Border Patrol do its job… Three days ago, Napolitano told an audience at Arizona State University that the border is more secure than ever," Tancredo said Sunday through his Rocky Mountain Foundation. "I challenge her -- no, I dare her -- to come to this community and try to sell that lie.”
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., whose Congressional district covers the area, described the rancher as a pillar of the community who was recently inducted into the Arizona Farming and Ranching Hall of Fame.
"The cold-blooded killing of an Arizona rancher is a sad and sobering reminder of the threats to public safety that exist in our border communities," Giffords said. "It has not yet been determined who committed this atrocity or why, but I know that federal and local authorities are mobilizing every possible resource to locate and apprehend the assailant."
Giffords said if Krentz's killing is connected to drug cartels or smugglers, the federal government must respond appropriately.
"All options should be on the table, including sending more Border Patrol agents to the area and deploying the National Guard," Giffords said.
Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said government has a clear responsibility to aid law enforcement resources at all levels along the border.
"I call on our federal and state governments to work together to bolster the law enforcement resources needed to better protect Arizonans living on the border," Goddard said
U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Omar Candelaria told the The Arizona Daily Star that if Krentz's killing was tied to such border crime, it would be a first for the area, to his recollection.
At a news conference Monday, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said Krentz was out checking water line and fencing on the land Krentz's family has ranched since 1907. Dever says Krentz had weapons with him in his all-terrain vehicle but didn't use them.
Investigators say Krentz apparently came upon one person when he was shot. While Krentz was still in his vehicle, mortally wounded, he managed to drive the ATV away from the scene at a high rate of speed before becoming unconscious.
Sheriff's deputies, U.S. Border Patrol trackers and Department of Corrections dog chase teams followed footsteps approximately 20 miles south to the Mexican border. No suspects have been apprehended.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click here for more on this story from MyFoxPhoenix.com
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/29/arizona-ranchers-killing-sparks-calls-beef-border-security/

Ole Glory
03-29-2010, 05:07 PM
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/03/29/the-death-of-an-arizona-rancher/

Jeanfromfillmore
03-30-2010, 02:38 PM
There's not one word about this killing on CNN or MSNBC. NOT ONE WORD!!!!!!

Rim05
03-30-2010, 10:37 PM
I have noticed the same thing Jean. I just emailed the story to a friend because there has been NO COVERAGE. I think I will email CNN and FOX tomorrow. Hey, I may as well notify LA Times and OC REGISTER.

Commander Bunny
03-30-2010, 11:06 PM
There's not one word about this killing on CNN or MSNBC. NOT ONE WORD!!!!!!
Coast-2-Coast just did an hour on this story, and it's quite popular so whether the mainstream media covers it, or not, it did get out on the airways.
Frosty wooldridge and Tom Tancredo were both on it, it was quite good.
They have a podcast on Their site of the show, or will replay it on KFI-AM around 2am this morning.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

Jeanfromfillmore
03-31-2010, 03:50 PM
Robert Krentz killing stokes fears of rampant illegal immigration
Speculation that the murder of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz is tied to illegal immigration has sparked calls for Homeland Security to send in the National Guard.
The killing of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz has prompted the state’s governor, its most influential senator, and its farming community to say that Washington is not doing enough to prevent illegal immigration and secure the border with Mexico.
Mr. Krentz was found Saturday, fatally shot and slumped over in his all-terrain vehicle, which still had its lights and engine on. Law enforcement officials tracked footprints from the scene back to the border, raising speculation that the killer is an illegal immigrant.
The apparent murder heightens the tension surrounding the immigration reform debate, with advocates of much stricter immigration controls saying Krentz's death highlights the urgent need for significantly increased border security.
Already, Krentz’s death is being held up as evidence that border violence is spiraling out of control as the Obama administration mulls immigration reform that could include a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants in the United States.
“It’s scary,” says Dawn Garner, a teacher and yoga instructor whose small ranch abuts the border near Naco, Ariz., just miles from Krentz’s ranch. She says she counts “at least 12” immigrants crossing her property every day.
“It’s become Grand Central Station out here since the Obama administration began talking about comprehensive reform,” says Ms. Garner, whose daughter knows Krentz’s son. “They’re all trying to get up here quickly so they can be inside the country when amnesty – or whatever they want to call it – is announced.”
Calls for action
Since Saturday, Gov. Jan Brewer (D) and Sen. John McCain (R) have called on the Department of Homeland Security to deploy the National Guard to the Arizona border. The Arizona Farm Bureau added: “Until Congress addresses securing the border, all necessary resources should be focused on Arizona's border.”
Authorities have not announced any motive for the killing, nor have they officially suggested that the killer was an illegal immigrant.
For his part, Krentz was well known in the area as a rancher who was kind to illegal immigrants he found on his property, despite having been robbed by them once. “You know, if they come in and ask for water, I'll still give them water," he told PBS's "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly" in 1999. “You know, that's just my nature."
Krentz’s brother, however, had called border patrol agents the day before the killing. The agents stopped a caravan of illegal immigrants carrying 280 pounds of marijuana, raising the possibility of the crime being retaliation.
An appeal for patience
Experts caution that authorities must understand what happened before conclusions should be drawn.
“An important question to ask is whether the killing of Robert Krentz is more an aberration than the norm at the Arizona border,” says Catherine Wilson, an immigration analyst at Villanova University in Philadelphia. “Did the immigrant responsible for Krentz’s death have ties to the drug-trafficking trade? Will we be seeing more violence at the border due to the heightening of drug-related crime in northern Mexico?”
Advocates for immigrants say Krentz’s death is less an issue of illegal immigration than of the increasing lawlessness in the border areas of Mexico, which affects American citizens and immigrants alike.
“It took the life of a Caucasian rancher, an innocent soul, to garner the attention of the violence on the border,” says Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). “Countless individuals have been murdered at the border during the crossing by ... criminals and their sophisticated networks.”
“Without legal channels for entry into the US, without reform, those who control the border are violent criminals, and the victims are innocent people, including the undocumented, who are raped, injured, and killed,” she adds.

Jeanfromfillmore
03-31-2010, 03:50 PM
Reward Offered for Arrest in Arizona Rancher's Killing
After Rober Krentz was gunned down while tending to his ranch Saturday morning, police suspect an illegal immigrant is to blame and a $15,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
The Arizona Cattle Growers' Association is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who fatally shot a prominent southeast Arizona rancher.
The body of 58-year-old Robert Krentz was located before midnight Saturday on his 35,000-acre ranch about 35 miles northeast of Douglas. He was out checking water line and fencing on the land Krentz's family has ranched since 1907.
Cochise County authorities believe Krentz was killed by an illegal immigrant who then fled to Mexico. Foot tracks were identified and followed approximately 20 miles south to the Mexico border by county, state and federal authorities.
In addition to announcing the reward money Tuesday, Cattle Growers' Association officials say a memorial fund has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank to help Krentz's family.
Reached by phone Tuesday at his family's ranch, Andy Krentz, Krentz's oldest son, said his father was a churchgoing man who routinely went out of his way to help those in need.
"My father was a very good family man," Krentz told FoxNews.com. "He supported his kids, supported his family. He went out of his way to help anybody we could without regarding to who they were. It didn't matter who they were."
Sue Krentz, Krentz's wife, said she was "pretty overwhelmed" by her husband's death, which coincided with her parents' deteriorating health.
"This is icing on the cake," Krentz said.
In 1999, Krentz and his wife told PBS' Religion & Ethics Newsweekly that the Krentz ranch had been broken into and burglarized of $700 worth of items. Despite the crime, Krentz said he helped any illegal immigrant he could.
"And you know, if they come in and ask for water, I'll still give them water," he said. "I -- you know, that's just my nature."
Locally, Krentz was known as a good Samaritan who often helped injured illegal immigrants who tried to cross the desert in an area where summer temperatures often hit 120 degrees.
Krentz radioed his brother Phil between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning that he had encountered an illegal immigrant, and was supposed to meet Phil on the ranch at noon, according to sheriff's deputies. When Krentz didn't show up, the brother called police, and a search team was soon scouring the sprawling desert 15 miles north of the border, near Douglas, Ariz.
At around 11 p.m., a state police helicopter found Krentz slumped over his ATV, the engine and lights still on. Nearby, his dog lay critically wounded, also hit by a bullet. The dog was put down Sunday morning and will be cremated, its ashes spread on the property along with Krentz's.
Tracker dogs have now followed the tracks of the killer back into Mexico, some 15 miles south.
Police have several scenarios of what might have occurred.
One, a drug cartel scout. The Chirachua mountains in southeast Arizona are 11,000 feet tall, rugged and remote. It is a popular drug corridor and the killer may have been clearing the way for a load of drugs moving north when Krentz surprised him.
Two, the suspect belonged to a band of thieves terrorizing the remote ranches spattered around the area — an idea supported by other ranchers.
"Two days earlier a 9mm and a 9mm Glock had been stolen from a home in Portal," said rancher Roger Barnett. "There is no way to know for sure it was the murder weapon. But the bullet the killed Rob and his dog was a 9mm."
Three, retaliation. The day before the killing, Krentz's brother Phil stopped a caravan of illegal immigrants carrying 280 pounds of marijuana. All eight were arrested by the border patrol and the pot was impounded.
The odd part, according to local land owners, is that the killer was apparently alone. Illegal immigrants crossing the border usually hire coyotes to help them pass and travel in groups or 5, 10, 20 or more.
"I think Rob came to help this guy, and the moment he put that telephone to his ear, he was shot," said rancher Richard Humphries, who lives in nearby Elfrida. "It's happened to me. They don't want you to call the border patrol."
Krentz had both a rifle and a revolver, neither of which he used. And both were still with the ATV when his body was found.
Unless the Mexican government finds the killer, Humphrey doubts they'll ever discover the killer's motivation.
The bigger question now looming is how -- if at all -- the rancher's death will affect the immigration debate.
While Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and other politicians will call once again for the deployment of the National Guard along the border, few here expect the troops to actually carry guns and provide a deterrent effect.
"What would it show? It would show we're serious about controlling our border, which is not the message this administration wants to send," Humphries lamented.
Advocates of reform will argue the killing is an aberration and that most illegal immigrants come to work, not commit crime.
And while the ranchers here dispute that, as they see illegal immigrants crossing their land everyday, most in Cochise County expect little more than lip service from Washington.
Rancher Roger Barnett was sued for $32 million for pointing his gun at a group of illegal immigrants. He says that immigration advocates in Washington may argue the border is secure, but that Krentz's death puts paid to those claims.
"Obama and [Secretary of Homeland Security Janet] Napolitano are dead wrong about our border being secure," said Barnett.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/31/reward-offered-arrest-arizona-ranchers-killing/

Jeanfromfillmore
03-31-2010, 03:51 PM
Murder of Arizona rancher puts spotlight back on illegal immigration
By Sean J. Miller - 03/30/10 07:45 PM ET
The recent murder of a longtime rancher has rekindled the debate over illegal immigration in Arizona.

Robert Krentz was found shot to death on his property near Douglas, Ariz., last Saturday. U.S. Border Patrol agents tracked footprints from the crime scene to the nearby Mexican border. Some have speculated that Krentz was killed by an illegal immigrant, but no arrests have yet been made.

Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) used the incident as opportunity to blast Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "Each one of them is culpable in this man's death," Tancredo told FoxNews.com.

McCain reacted forcefully to the news -- reiterating his call for troops to be deployed to the border. "I am asking you and the Administration to immediately reconsider your position and send National Guard troops to our southern border region," he wrote in a letter to Napolitano on Monday.

But the crime -- and the reaction it's sparked -- is a reminder that McCain remains exposed on the controversial issue.
His primary opponent, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, remained critical of the senator.
"One of the reasons [J.D. Hayworth] is challenging John McCain, is because of McCain's past sponsorship of legislation that would grant amnesty to illegal aliens," the former congressman's campaign said in a release expressing condolences to the Krentz family.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/89943-murder-of-ariz-rancher-puts-spotlight-back-on-illegal-immigration

Jeanfromfillmore
03-31-2010, 03:52 PM
Border mood changing after murder
By Philip Franchine, Green Valley News
Published: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 8:34 PM MST
Friends, officials and border activists are begging the federal government for definitive action to address border violence after the murder Saturday of a beloved Cochise County rancher.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona’s 8th District, late Tuesday joined Gov. Jan Brewer and Sen. John McCain in calling for using the National Guard on the border, citing the difficulty that law enforcement agencies have in covering the vast spaces of Southern Arizona.

Retired rancher Robert Brown, 63, of Green Valley, who knew Robert Krentz and his family before leaving Cochise County in 1982, praised Krentz as a mentor to others and a warm, generous man who reached out to other ranchers, illegal border crossers and anybody who crossed his path.

Krentz, 58, was shot on his ranch Saturday, and officials say the shooter apparently was an illegal immigrant who escaped by walking 20 miles to the Mexican border.

Brown said times have changed drastically since he was a young man and his mother and aunt routinely fed small groups of illegal immigrants who crossed his ranch in hopes of seeking work. Now, paid smugglers herd groups of 30 to 50 across and heavily armed drug traffickers send smugglers across on foot.

Authorities said drug smugglers were arrested on the Krentz ranch Friday, but have not said that Krentz was killed in retaliation.


“I remember as a kid, the illegals came through there and we’d feed and help them just like Rob did,” Brown said. “But this is a different bunch of people — the drug smugglers and the smuggling of human beings.”

“This has changed big time. The U.S. needs to put the military on the border and stop it by any means possible,” Brown said. “The Border Patrol? I imagine they’re doing what they can do, but when you got people running drugs and armed to the hilt? That calls for drastic action as far as I’m concerned.”

Giffords spoke at a Border Patrol intelligence center dedication in Tucson on Tuesday, saying the new center may help in solving the rancher’s death.

She said in her request for National Guard help that law enforcement agencies have not communicated effectively with each other and noted that those crossing the border have become far more dangerous than in the past.

“We know that every time we implement a new border strategy, the smugglers find new ways to circumvent our strategies,” she said.

Giffords said the 262-mile long Tucson Sector is where about half of all drugs and humans are smuggled each year across the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. The Tucson Sector has increased its staffing from 1,100 to 3,200 agents since 1999, U.S. Border Patrol Chief and former Tucson Sector Chief David V. Aguilar said Tuesday.

Giffords has called for comprehensive immigration reform, which would include a temporary guest worker program.

Brown has changed his mind over the years on comprehensive reform and now opposes it, saying, “Mexico has every natural resource known to man. These people shouldn’t have to be coming to this country looking for work. Mexico is so corrupt that poor people don’t have a chance down there.”

Brown and many in Cochise County, including Sheriff Larry Dever, said the lack of protection for ranchers has been a tragedy waiting to happen for years and that federal officials have not acted to help. The Krentz ranch, covers 55 square miles.

Border activists Gary Meinert of Green Valley and the Rev. Randy Mayer of Sahuarita agreed that Krentz’ death was a tragedy and called for different measures to reduce border violence.

Meinert said the Border Patrol needs more resources, and said it has found that 17 to 20 percent of those apprehended in some areas have serious criminal records.

Mayer said adding resources without a guest worker program is not working, as the tripling of agents in the Tucson Sector has been accompanied by higher rates of violence.
http://www.gvnews.com/articles/2010/03/30/breaking_news/krentz0329.txt

Twoller
04-02-2010, 02:25 PM
Does anyone have any idea what is going to happen to Krentz's property now that he is gone?

Jeanfromfillmore
04-02-2010, 08:06 PM
Does anyone have any idea what is going to happen to Krentz's property now that he is gone?He has a wife, children and grandchildren.

Twoller
04-03-2010, 07:28 AM
He has a wife, children and grandchildren.

So the wife is staying on?

Jeanfromfillmore
04-03-2010, 11:19 AM
So the wife is staying on?Some family members will continue the ranching probably. His sons worked the ranch with him. Some articles have the ranch at 34,000 and 35,000 acres, and some said 38,000. Which ever is right doesn't matter, it's still a big ranch.

Twoller
04-03-2010, 12:44 PM
Some family members will continue the ranching probably. His sons worked the ranch with him. Some articles have the ranch at 34,000 and 35,000 acres, and some said 38,000. Which ever is right doesn't matter, it's still a big ranch.

Sure, it's a big ranch. And if the old guy were in the way on the border there, that might have been a reason to have him killed.

My sense is that our borders have many parts where land owners are not exactly sympathetic with border security. Land ownership can come and go.

But if this were a family farm, the remaining family is more likely to uphold whatever attitudes the senior Krentz held. And I assume that he upheld border security. Maybe he didn't and a lax attitude was what found him in a confrontation.

We deserve more details as to how this particular border spot was managed by both the authorities and the land owner.

....

For his part, Krentz was well known in the area as a rancher who was kind to illegal immigrants he found on his property, despite having been robbed by them once. “You know, if they come in and ask for water, I'll still give them water," he told PBS's "Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly" in 1999. “You know, that's just my nature."

Krentz’s brother, however, had called border patrol agents the day before the killing. The agents stopped a caravan of illegal immigrants carrying 280 pounds of marijuana, raising the possibility of the crime being retaliation.

....