Bill Would Enable Law Enforcement Access to Border Lands
Proposed legislation is designed to make it easier for federal law enforcement to fight illegal immigration on federal lands, including lands that surround the U.S.-Mexico border.
It would also require policies to remove trash caused by illegal migrants and prohibit housing for such migrants on federal lands.
The Federal Lands Amplified Security for the Homeland (FLASH) Act (H.R 1820) is sponsored by Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), who represents a district along the southern border.
Representative Ciscomani says the FLASH Act will “restore the health of our national parks and public lands and shield them from abuse under a future open-borders administration.”
The FLASH Act would do the following:
Build roads on federal lands to enhance access for law enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol officers.
Ensure law enforcement agencies have access to federal land along the border.
Permit states to erect temporary barriers on federal lands to secure the border.
Develop policies and procedures to reduce trash build up caused by illegal migrants.
Mitigate wildfires caused by illegal migrants.
Prohibit the housing of illegal migrants on federal lands.
Eliminate the cultivation of illegal cannabis on federal lands.
At a recent House subcommittee hearing on the legislation, Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) said, “When we fail to secure our federal lands, we fail to secure our border.”
The Trump Administration supports the bill and notes that Department of the Interior manages land that covers about 40 percent of the southern border.
However, environmental groups, some National Park Rangers, and others are lining up against the proposed bill.
Bruce Krumenaker of the Association of National Park Rangers and retired Superintendent at Big Bend National Park in Texas, spoke against the legislation at the hearing. He said the first section of the bill, requiring the building of roads on federal lands, “takes a blunt approach that is neither needed nor cost-effective. It has the potential to irreparably harm some of this nation’s most spectacular and loved landscapes.”
Other opponents claimed the building of roads will not help border patrol but will simply enhance cross-border traffic.
The legislation is pending in committee.
National Park Service Cuts
This comes as National Park Service (NPS) rangers could be facing layoffs and/or payroll cuts, with the busy summer season just ahead. According to The Hill, NPS leaders are toying with cutting 30 percent of payroll expenses.
The Interior Department told the website it does “not comment on specific personnel matters.”