GAO says Interior, Ag departments tie hands of Border Patrol

Border Patrol Agents watch for illegal entry f...Image via Wikipedia
The Hill:

Several White House agencies charged with enforcing environmental laws are preventing thousands of Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border from disrupting illicit trafficking operations, according to a study by the investigative arm of Congress.

The report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that about 15 percent of the 26 Border Patrol stations in the southwestern region say the Interior Department and the Agriculture Department have prevented them from catching illegal aliens coming over the border.

Nearly half of the thousands of miles of the U.S.’s border with Mexico – which saw about 556,000 people cross over it illegally last year – is federally maintained by the Interior Department and the Forest Service, which are charged with upholding the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Wilderness Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Under federal law, before Border Patrol agents can build roads or establish surveillance posts on this land, they must first receive permission from the land managing agencies. This process can take months while the land management agencies conduct tests to ensure the environmental safety of the land and its species, the GAO report said, resulting in the souring of actionable intelligence with the ranks of the Border Patrol.

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If Democrats were serious about border protection they would change the law and let the Border Patrol do their job. The Republicans should make changing this law one of their top priorities after this election.
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