Volume 1, Issue 21 OCTOBER 20, 2023
Sheriff Craig Mast visits U.S. southern border By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
PERMIT NO 62
PRE-SORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE
RESIDENTIAL POSTAL CUSTOMER PAID ECRWSS BIG RAPIDS, MI 49307
Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast recently spent three days visiting the southern border of the U.S. He traveled with Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole and Mason County Undersheriff Derreck Wilson, and the three flew into McAllen, Texas, Sept. 28. The group attended upon the request of the non-partisan, public interest organization, FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) for the quick two-day learning trip. “Approximately 25–30 sheriff officers from across the country attended. Cole, Wilson and myself were the only Michigan sheriffs in attendance,” Mast said. Mast became familiar with FAIR in 2022 when he was asked to go to Washington D.C. for a FAIR conference and to attend a “Faces of Fentanyl” gathering on the National Mall. On Sept. 29, the group attended a half-day of classroom instruction hearing from various border security stakeholders, including Texas sheriff officers, the Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Border Patrol agents, larger property owners and elected officials. “We learned about each entity and its role with our open border,” Mast said. Mast learned that currently, border patrol agents vet all immigrants coming through border checkpoints. Individuals from any country other than Mexico are immediately turned away. The border patrol agents reported seeing people from all over the world attempting to enter the United States, including people from the Middle East, China, Africa and Russia, as well as multiple “watchlist terrorists.” Once any Mexican immigrants are processed, Mast said, “They are fed, clothed, provided health care, given a debit card with U.S. taxpayer dollars on it and bussed to sanctuary cities throughout the country.” While many individuals use border security checkpoints to enter the coun-
try, there are thousands of “illegals” who are assisted by the Mexican cartels on both sides of the southern border. “The Mexican cartel is deeply embedded on both sides,” Mast said. “The human trafficking that is occurring on the border and the illegal drugs that are being brought across by the unchecked immigrants is a huge concern. Our country is being exposed to fentanyl every day because it is being brought from China and then across the U.S./Mexico border, and it is killing people here.” The group of officers was told about various individuals and volunteer groups who have taken it upon themselves to expose what is happening and to try and help. Mast told of one group called the Texas Border Volunteers, whose main goal is to patrol the bush to find immigrants infiltrating the country illegally. They are armed with night vision and take ORVs or ATVs to try to intercept these groups. Prior to 2020, the group would deal with 10-20 people at a time and bring them to the border patrol, where they would be processed. Now it is not uncommon to come upon groups of 200 or more. Following a full morning, the group toured part of King Ranch, the largest ranch in the U.S., encompassing 850,000 acres in southern Texas. The tour took the group to a border checkpoint on the main highway leaving McAllen. “It’s full of brush and cactus. It’s very rough country, and by afternoon it was extremely hot and humid,” Mast said. “We were told that every person that crosses the border illegally pays the cartel. Then they follow a ‘coyote’ through the rough country. If they can’t keep up, it doesn’t matter if they’re old, pregnant or just children; they are left behind. We were told women making the journey expect to be violated and are supplied with special kits from the United Nations that contain the morning after pill and condoms. King’s Ranch has reported recovering 244 dead bodies on their property in 2023 alone. All of this comes at a huge expense to that county. Law enforcement officers have chases every day
Craig Mast, Derreck Wilson and Kim Cole and night as they try to fend off illegal immigration. Border Patrol agents are sympathetic, but they’re “handcuffed.” They’ve turned into a ‘welcome wagon,’ while leaving the local authorities trying to defend (their jurisdictions).” Mast shared some disturbingly graphic video footage he was shown of the Mexican cartel in action, murdering a man who was not able to pay them. Suffice it to say, according to Mast, “If you don’t pay, the consequences are severe.” On Sept. 30, the second and last day of their trip, representatives were taken on a bus to view different portions of the border, some with walls and very secure, others with little to nothing and very insecure. One of the biggest takeaways for Mast was the size of the Rio Grande River. “I was under the illusion that the Rio Grande was a bigger obstacle than it is. I was thinking it was like the Mississippi River or the Detroit River, when it’s really more like the Muskegon River or less. Swimming across Hart Lake would be more of an obstacle. We actually boarded Department of Public Safety marine patrol boats and toured about four miles of the river. The boats are armed with machine guns front and back,” Mast said. While the tour did not see any trouble, Mast said they did see men in the water taunting them, and it is not un-
common for officers to have to defend against sniper fire. He said on the Mexican side of the river he saw beautiful homes, more than likely paid for by the cartels, while on the U.S. side it was desolate with various crossing points that were obviously worn down from foot traffic. The short two-day trip was an eye-opening experience for Mast. While classroom lectures were packed with statistics and speakers, the tours taken to real places along the border made the situation really come alive. When asked how he sees this situation playing out in Oceana County, Mast said the department has seen illegal aliens at the county jail for years. Protocol has always involved daily monitoring of the jail’s rosters by ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement). “They are looking for criminals, terror watch list individuals or previously deported people. If any are found to be on our rosters, they will be apprehended and federally prosecuted. From 2008 to 2020, ICE was here every week. Since 2020, they’ve only been here a couple of times each year.” Sheriff Mast had much more information than could possibly be shared in an hour-long interview, but one thing seemed certain: he was resolute in his feelings about the country’s current border situation. “If I ran our local jail the way our national border is being run, I would be ‘run out on a rail.’ Elections have consequences, and I believe we are proceeding toward a third world country. Our national resources can’t support this invasion.” Since returning at the end of September, Mast has shared his observations via a PowerPoint presentation with at least two other local groups. Among other priorities, the FAIR organization evaluates policies, seeking out solutions that help reduce the negative impact of uncontrolled immigration on the nation’s security, economy, workforce, education, healthcare, and environment. More information is available at their website www.FAIRus.org.
Shelby Village Council reviews Getty Park bids By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Contributor Two bids were received for Shelby’s long-awaited Getty Park renovation project, which officially “opened” on Thursday, Sept. 28. McCormick Sands had the lowest bid at $1,838,817, which was $402,032 higher than the most recent budget. In the coming days, the village engineer will be reviewing the project bid and making their formal recommendations. Village Administrator Brady Selner said further council discussion and a possible final awarding of the project will be at an upcoming council meeting. Selner reported that seven applications have been submitted for the downtown façade grant opportunity. The review committee will be meeting soon to consider each application and make their recommendations to the village council. The only action item to come before council Monday was the approval of a quote from TruGreen for up to $2,750 for aeration and overseeding at Getty Field. The council requested that Sel-
ner ask TruGreen if they would do it for $2,500. Experts recommend the field be aerated every year due to the amount of use it receives. Reseeding is needed in several areas to help build up the turf. However, with the field being used from early spring into the fall, depending on soccer playoffs, it has been difficult to remediate the field in a timely manner. The window of opportunity to get this taken care of yet this season is closing soon. In a related matter, Selner, council members from the Parks and Recreation Committee and school officials met Sept. 25 to go over the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the school and village for the maintenance of Getty Field. As a result, the school agreed to remove a tree overtaking the building on the southwest corner of the field as well as refurbish that building’s exterior. While the village agreed to repair and paint the bleachers at the field. “These are small, but positive steps in the right direction,” Selner said after the meeting. “The village is committed to taking care of Getty Field for both the students and the community.”
Hesperia crowned Kayla Rumsey and Brock Bolles as its 2023 Homecoming Queen and King during a rainy halftime at this past Friday’s varsity football game. The Panthers took on the Hart Pirates in the very wet conditions, falling 54-0.
• Brendan Samuels/Echo