Residents of New Mexico's Bootheel and parts of southern Arizona say human smuggling and drug trafficking is taking its toll on the region.
The Deming Headlight reports that residents are scheduled Thursday to express their concerns to federal officials during a meeting at the Animas Community Center in Animas, New Mexico.
Judy Keeler, a longtime resident of the rural border region, says her home was recently burglarized and it's not an unusual episode for other residents.
Residents have said state Highway 80 has become a favorite for Mexican cartel drug runners who manage to navigate out of the Peloncillo Mountains along the Arizona-New Mexico border. They want an even more increased presence from the U.S. Border Patrol.
