Arizona ranchers Jim and Sue Chilton — outspoken advocates for border security — spoke Wednesday during the Republican National Convention, endorsing Donald Trump and criticizing President Joe Biden’s border wall policies.
Jim Chilton, a fifth-generation rancher, and his wife Sue, who own land in Arivaca, were among over 20 “everyday Americans” speaking in front of tthe 2024 Republican National Convention audience. They were on stage for about five minutes.
The Chiltons shared their experiences ranching on the U.S.-Mexico border, highlighting the challenges they face due to illegal immigration. The couple were featured earlier this year in an AGDAILY series on the border crisis called Dangerous Divide.
Wednesday’s theme, “Make America Strong Once Again,” focused on international relations and illegal immigration.
Illegal immigration has been a major concern for the Chilton family and other Arizona ranchers near the border.
“We need to make America safe again,” Jim Chilton said during the presentation.
The Chilton Ranch borders the U.S.-Mexico boundary for 5.5 miles, leaving it vulnerable to illegal crossings. In just one month, April 2024, thousands of people were reported entering the ranch seeking economic asylum.
“Every time that Jim leaves the ranch house, I have to worry that he won’t come back alive,” Sue Chilton said. “Our house has been broken into twice; a border patrol agent was shot five times by drug smugglers on our ranch.”
The couple have installed life-saving water stations on their ranch, yet they say that at least three asylum seekers have died due to dehydration. They reinforced a key talking point of the night: that the cartel is smuggling drugs across the nation’s border every day.
“They are bringing lethal drugs into our country,” Sue Chilton said. “This is chemical warfare.”
Jim Chilton noted that when Biden assumed office in 2020, the border wall was almost finished. However, construction ceased with Biden’s administration. Now, the Chiltons use their own technology, including hidden cameras, to surveil their ranch.
“Since Joe Biden took office, our hidden cameras have recorded over 3,500 drug packers and others dressed in camouflage marching north through our ranch,” Jim Chilton said, as footage of people crossing the ranch played on the screens behind them.
