Border War - Whose Side is the President On?
Lawmaker Warns Parks Takeover by Mexican Cartels, Illegals ‘Intensifying’
FOXNews.com, June 17, 2010 [here]
Federal environmental laws are handcuffing U.S. Border Patrol agents to a foot-and-horseback strategy as they try to battle Mexican drug cartels and illegal immigrants who are turning wide swaths of America’s border with Mexico into a virtual no-man’s land.
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, ranking Republican on the House Parks and Public Lands Subcommittee, said the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona — part of which was closed in 2006 because it was considered too dangerous for Americans to visit — is just the tip of the iceberg.
He said there’s plenty of other parkland along the border that’s either closed to the public or is considered too dangerous because of concern about drug gangs, human smugglers and illegal immigrants, and that the problem is getting worse.
“You travel here in America at your own risk,” Bishop told FoxNews.com.
The reason the parkland along the border has become so hazardous, Bishop said, is because environmental regulations restrict Border Patrol from using vehicles to patrol in those areas — except in special circumstances. In turn, he said, drug cartels are being funneled into those swaths as immigration agents get tougher patrolling private land.
“It’s intensifying,” Bishop said. The Utah Republican is the author of a bill, H.R. 5016, that would allow border agents to patrol parkland without worrying about the environmental restrictions. He described that bill as the solution to the problem.
“They’re not allowing the Border Patrol to do the job that they know they need to do,” he said.
New attention has been drawn to the issue following reports about the Buenos Aires refuge. Signs have been posted warning Americans not to cross into the closed-off territory — U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service originally sent around a notice in October 2006 that about 3,500 acres were being closed to public use out of concern for public safety.
“The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge has been adversely affected by border-related activities,” the notice said. “Assaults on law enforcement officers and violence against migrants have escalated. Violence on the refuge associated with smugglers and border bandits has been well-documented.” …
Bishop said the “irony” of the situation is that trespassers in the lawless zone are trampling the environmental habitat anyway. And he said the Obama administration’s plan to send National Guard troops to the border will be inhibited by the restrictions on federal land.
“I don’t care how many troops you send down there — until they have access to the land, it doesn’t do any good,” he said. … [more]
Obama Administration Planning to File Suit Against Arizona Immigration Law
FOXNews.com, June 18, 2010 [here]
The Obama administration plans to file suit challenging Arizona’s immigration law, officials told Fox News on Friday.
The confirmation comes after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a TV station in Ecuador earlier this month that the administration would challenge the law in court, though officials had long said the issue was under review.
Administration officials initially would not confirm Clinton’s statement. But an official told Fox News on Friday that while the review is still underway, the decision has already been made that a Department of Justice suit will be filed. The administration at this point is just building its case. … [more]
Arizona Governor Vows to Fight Any Federal Lawsuit Over Immigration Law
FOXNews.com, June 18, 2010 [here]
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer expressed outrage Thursday over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments that the Obama administration will sue over Arizona’s controversial immigration law — and Brewer said she’s ready for a fight.
Clinton said in an interview with a TV station in Ecuador that the Obama administration “will be bringing” suit against Arizona for its immigration law, though the Justice Department for weeks has said that the issue is still under review.
“What a disappointment,” Brewer told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren on Thursday, saying she was shocked the administration would make such an announcement on foreign TV without giving Arizona officials the news first. Her office hadn’t heard from the administration as of Thursday evening.
“We are not going to back away from this issue,” Brewer said. “We are going to pursue it, we’re going to be very aggressive,” Brewer said. “We’ll meet them in court … And we will win.” … [more]
Note: Obama is willing to commit American troops, treasure, and lives to defend the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, but not our own border.
Note 2: Good thing somebody is watching Ecuador TV. Otherwise we wouldn’t know what Barky and Billary were up to.