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Public Lands Foundation
Position Statement:
2010-08
Public Land Being Destroyed by Illegal
Immigration
July 18, 2010
Executive
Summary
Smuggling of controlled substances and
people into the United States from Mexico has caused significant impacts
to lands and resources managed by the Bureau of Land Management, National
Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Tribal
and State governments and private citizens along the southwest border of
the United States. The impacts imperil designated Wilderness Areas,
National Conservation Areas, National Monuments and other public lands.
These impacts are so severe that immediate action by the Administration
and Congress is required, including enactment and enforcement of a new
immigration policy and allocation of sufficient resources to mitigate
impacts resulting on lands within the National System of Public Lands
administered by BLM.
Background
About 1998, BLM and other public land
managers in southern Arizona began to recognize that serious impacts were
occurring on the lands they managed as a result of drug smuggling and
illegal immigration. Public lands, including protected areas, such as
Wilderness Areas, National Conservation Areas, National Monuments,
National Parks, Wildlife Refuges and National Forests were faced with a
proliferation of illegal roads and trails, abandoned vehicles, trash,
human waste and many other impacts.
Damage to these public lands is caused by
hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year who avoid using authorized
ports of entry on the United States-Mexico border. In fear of being
caught, they often avoid public roads and instead cross open desert on
foot or bicycles or in motorized vehicles.
Losses of human life are also a major
concern. Exposure to extreme desert temperatures, dehydration, vehicle
accidents and numerous unknown causes kill hundreds of illegal immigrants
each year. These deaths continue even with increased patrols and
surveillance, placement of rescue beacons and emergency water stations in
strategic locations, increased rescue capability and other life-saving
efforts. Some of these deaths have occurred on BLM lands.
Arizona’s 374 miles of international
border comprise about 19 percent of the total 1,952 miles of southwest
United States border with Mexico. And, BLM administers only 44 miles of
border in Arizona. However, BLM employees can no longer work in some
public land areas near the Arizona-Mexico border due to the risks of
encountering drug smugglers and large groups of illegal immigrants. In
other areas, BLM employees are directed to work in pairs, carry satellite
phones and take other precautions to reduce risks. This decreases work
productivity. Also, visitors are discouraged to visit certain BLM lands,
including recreation areas, due to the risks mentioned above.
The first 100 miles north of the Mexico
border in Arizona are considered the most impacted by drug smuggling and
illegal immigration. This includes more than 3.7 million acres
administered by BLM. BLM lands include 15 Congressionally designated
Wilderness Areas, one wilderness study area, two National Conservation
Areas and two National Monuments. The San Pedro Riparian National
Conservation Area, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and Sonoran Desert
National Monument are considered to be the most impacted of the BLM
lands. These three areas, totaling approximately 683,000 acres, and
others, have become dangerous places for BLM to work and the public to
visit. Thousands of arrests, thousands of pounds of Marijuana and dozens
of vehicles are seized each year on these three areas alone.
In Arizona, literally hundreds of illegal
roads and trails have been created across BLM lands by drug smugglers,
illegal immigrants and law enforcement officers in pursuit. These roads
and trails fragment wildlife habitat, destroy vegetation, compact soils,
cause erosion, and in many places create an unsightly maze of roads and
trails that confuse visitors. Youth groups and volunteers in Arizona have
helped BLM rehabilitate hundreds of illegal roads and trails and numerous
ever-widening pullouts. More than 50 additional miles of road have had to
be maintained or brought back to a safe condition as a result of heavy
illegal traffic. Many more roads and trails require rehabilitation.
Most abandoned vehicles do not run, have
blown-out tires or are wrecked. They are left in washes, riparian areas
and remote desert. They are difficult and costly to remove.
Soiled baby diapers, empty food containers
and water bottles, clothes, human waste and other personal items are just
a few of the things left in or near rivers, streams, washes and wildlife
and livestock waters. These discards pollute the waters and cause health
hazards. The 40 miles of San Pedro River managed by BLM and its
tributaries are severely impacted with tons of these items. Trails, rest
areas and pick up points also are strewn with heavy concentrations of
litter.
Smugglers and illegal immigrants that
abandon their cooking and warming fires cause thousands of acres to burn
each year, thus creating risks to other immigrants in the area, employees,
visitors and fire fighters and the destruction of natural resources. For
example, three fires totaling more than 1,500 acres were intentionally set
by illegal immigrants in the Sonoran Desert National Monument in 2005.
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Ironwood Forest
National Monument, Las Cienegas National Conservation Area and other BLM
lands also have been subjected to such fires.
Each year, youth groups, volunteers and
contractors contribute many thousands of hours picking up and disposing of
tons of trash left by smugglers and illegal immigrants, rehabilitating the
illegal routes and pullouts mentioned above, picking up hundreds of
discarded tires, building barriers, replacing wire gates with cattle
guards, placing signs and planting trees.
These efforts are focused on the Ironwood
Forest National Monument, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area,
Sonoran Desert National Monument, and Las Cienegas National Conservation
Area. Resources have not been made available to inventory, clean up or
repair much of the remaining portion of 3.7 million acres managed by BLM
within 100 miles of the border.
The above is but an Arizona example.
Similar impacts on lands and resources managed by BLM in California and
New Mexico have occurred, are occurring, and can be expected to occur in
future years. Similar impacts also are occurring on National Parks,
Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, Military Ranges, Tribal lands, and
State and private lands adjacent to or near the U.S./Mexico border.
Although Congress has provided some
resources to BLM for cleanup and repair of these impacts, existing
capability and resources are severely inadequate to deal with the majority
of impacts caused by drug smugglers and illegal immigrants on BLM lands in
Arizona.
Discussion
The PLF considers as unacceptable the
damage caused on public lands by illegal immigration. The public and BLM
should be able to use public lands without fear or intimidation.
Something needs to be done to stop the uncontrolled and destructive
traffic by large numbers of illegal immigrants who use the desert lands in
ways that are not tolerated if done by American citizens. Travel by all
parties must be on established roads and trails to minimize impacts on
resources. Additionally, littering and other impacts to the fragile
desert soils, vegetation, cultural resources and landscapes should not be
tolerated.
The PLF finds that the smuggling of
controlled substances and people into the United States from Mexico is
increasingly causing substantial and oftentimes irreparable damage to
natural and cultural resources on Federal, Tribal, State, and private
lands along America’s southwest border. In addition, these activities are
causing the loss of human life and serious risks to public employees,
visitors to public lands and local citizens.
PLF appreciates the funding provided to
BLM in Arizona by Congress over the past several years to mitigate some of
the impacts caused by smuggling of controlled substances and people. More
is needed.
PLF Position
To prevent future damage to the public
lands:
1. Congress needs to enact and enforce a
new immigration policy that will allow immigrants seeking available jobs
in the United States to enter legally through established ports of entry
and on public highways and roads, instead of entering illegally and
indiscriminately crossing fragile public lands on foot and in vehicles.
2. The Department of the Interior needs
to take the lead in developing a coordinated interagency plan of action to
mitigate the impacts caused by the smuggling from Mexico into the United
States of controlled substances and people, along with estimates of the
resources needed to fully implement such plan, and
3. BLM needs to be provided the funds
necessary to protect and rehabilitate the public lands in the National
System of Public Lands and to fully implement such coordinated plan(s) of
action, as may be updated from time to time.
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Updated from No. PLF 29-06, April 21, 2006. |