NEAR LA JOYA - A Rio Grande Valley resident said the battle to secure the border continues every day in his backyard.

Havana resident Ramon Ramirez notices the constant presence of DPS troopers and Border Patrol agents near his home. He said the sound of helicopters hovering over the area isn’t letting him sleep at night.

 “The first thing that will happen is all the dogs in the neighborhood will start barking, that’s your queue,” he said.

Ramirez said people cross into the country illegally on a daily basis.

“I’ve had people come in. I’ve had people hide under the house. I saw one guy try to break down my back door,” he said.

Ramirez said Border Patrol agents found a crosser hiding underneath his home Tuesday night.

“They try to get in, and day in day out the Border Patrol catches them and this has been going on all my life, and now it seems like it’s getting worse,” he said.

Ramirez said they’re fighting a war with in their backyards.

“We have a lot of things that we need to change before anything happens around here. Things aren’t going to change like that,” he said.

The Havana resident hopes change will happen soon so he can feel safe again.