Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    65,443

    Congressman Raul Grijalva Introduces Legislation That Secure

    Congressman Raul Grijalva Introduces Legislation That Secures America's Border While Protecting Local Communities and Wildlife



    Legislation Echoes Recommendations by Coalition of Concerned Military,
    Federal and Conservation Stakeholders

    WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Raul Grijalva
    (D-AZ) yesterday introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that
    would secure America's border with Mexico while reducing the negative
    impact on local communities and resources, including national parks,
    wildlife refuges and monuments that are home to several critically
    endangered species. H.R.2593, the Borderlands Conservation and Security Act
    of 2007, would amend existing immigration and border security laws,
    including the recently-passed Secure Fence Act and REALID Act, to help
    alleviate the devastating impacts of undocumented immigration and border
    enforcement activities on public lands, wildlife and borderland
    communities.
    "Congressman Grijalva's bill brings some much needed common sense to
    immigration reform and border security," said Rodger Schlickeisen,
    president of Defenders of Wildlife. "It strikes an appropriate balance
    between ensuring our borders are secure and conserving our treasured lands
    and wildlife."
    The goal of the bill is to ensure protections for wildlife, local
    communities and federally protected lands, including national treasures
    such as Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National
    Wildlife Refuge, while securing the border against undocumented immigrant
    traffic. In order to achieve this goal, the bill:
    -- Provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the ability
    to decide whether fences, vehicle barriers or virtual fences would be
    most effective in securing the border.
    -- Gives land management agencies, Native American tribes and local
    communities a voice in border construction decisions.
    -- Requires compliance with laws meant to protect the air, water,
    wildlife, culture and the health and safety of people in borderland
    communities.
    -- Funds initiatives that help mitigate damage to borderland wildlife
    and resources.
    Congressman Grijalva's bill echoes the consensus recommendations for
    managing borderland resources recently made by a coalition of concerned
    groups, including military personnel, border agents, land managers and
    conservation groups. Those recommendations can be found at
    http://www.defenders.org/border/arizona ... ations.pdf.
    NOTE: It is a large file and may take a moment to load.
    Over a quarter of the U.S.-Mexico border lies within public lands on
    which a large number of imperiled species rely. The border patrol estimates
    that near the Arizona-Mexico border alone there are 39 species protected or
    proposed to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. However,
    according to the REALID Act passed by Congress in 2006, DHS is allowed to
    waive any and all federal, state and local laws to construct walls, roads
    and other barriers in the vicinity of the border. Congressman Grijalva's
    bill limits this authority and requires that DHS consult with local
    officials and land managers to determine the effect that a wall will have
    on the communities and wildlife in the area before constructing a fence and
    if necessary, allows for DHS to explore other options.
    "National security comes first, but we can have security without
    destroying our valued lands and imperiled wildlife," said Schlickeisen.
    "Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has already twice waived important
    federal laws to begin building a wall. In one of these instances he also
    ignored recommendations by local experts in order to construct an
    unnecessary and environmentally devastating wall in the Barry M. Goldwater
    Range. In such remote areas, vehicle barriers and virtual fence technology
    can often be more effective than walls in securing the border, and they do
    so without damaging wildlife, communities and protected lands."
    The need for consultation requirements in Congressman Grijalva's bill
    has been illustrated by recent events in Texas. DHS has released plans for
    extensive border wall construction in south Texas with little or no input
    from local communities or federal agencies, many of whom have said that a
    wall will negatively impact the economy and environment of the region.
    Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native
    animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000
    members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for
    innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to
    come. For more information, visit http://www.defenders.org.

    http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stori ... 268&EDATE=
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2
    MW
    MW is offline
    Senior Member MW's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    25,717
    This kills it for me:

    -- Gives land management agencies, Native American tribes and local communities a voice in border construction decisions.
    Border security is something that affects us all, not just border communities and impacted special interest groups. Any suggestion from these folks will not consider the issue from the rest of the nations perspective. It would be a big mistake to include these folks in the decision making process because any decision they make will be biased in their favor.

    "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" ** Edmund Burke**

    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts athttps://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  3. #3
    Senior Member lunarminer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Tucker, GA
    Posts
    161

    This legislation is a wolf in sheeps clothing...

    What this bill really means is that so called environmental groups will be able to lobby against the border fence by claiming that construction of the fence would harm endangered species. I would be surprised if they invented some new previously unknown species too. Like the double breasted fence jumper, the hobble toed hitchhiker, and the five toed river wrangler.

    In addition they could claim that the fence would reduce the food supply for turkey buzzards, wild dogs, and certain insect life. What a crock!
    Lunarminer
    Thar's gold in that there moon!

  4. #4
    Senior Member sippy's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Posts
    3,798
    Provides the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the ability
    to decide whether fences, vehicle barriers or virtual fences would be
    most effective in securing the border.
    This is one stupid amendment. If we let DHS and the human skull decide, we all know chertoff would be pressured by boosh to only have the virtual wall. This is not an effective solution. By the time the BP would get there, the illegals would be long gone.
    Why doesn't Raul introduce an amendment to have the illegals clean up all their pick up sites on their way back home?
    Now that's an amendment that makes sense!
    "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results is the definition of insanity. " Albert Einstein.

  5. #5
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    65,443
    Rep. Grijalva seeking to protect sensitive border lands
    Associated Press
    Jun. 11, 2007 11:43 AM

    TUCSON - A southern Arizona congressman is pushing a proposal that aims to protect borderland national forests and wildlife refuges from damage caused by illegal border traffic and by security measures taken to counter the crossings.

    Generally, the bill introduced recently by U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva would force the U.S. Border Patrol to take steps to protect those preserves from illegal crossers, who leave behind huge amounts of trash and carve illegal roads in the desert, and from the agency's trucks and other security measures that scar the land and sometimes disturb wildlife.

    The legislation's individual provisions are tilted more toward protecting sensitive lands from security efforts than from illegal immigrants.





    "Current policy has driven crossing activity to remote isolated areas along the border, which in Southern Arizona, represent significant public and tribal lands," Grijalva said in a written statement.

    The bill would also set up a $5 million annual Borderlands Conservation Fund to finance projects to restore wildlife habitat along the border, improve management of borderland species and compensate for environmental damage there.

    Environmental and conservation groups expressed support for the bill, whose language closely matches recommendations that came out last week in a report from 35 conservation groups, state and federal agencies and universities.

    But groups representing current and retired Border Patrol agents said the legislation would tie the agency's hands.

    "Mr. Grijalva is not a friend of the Border Patrol. He never has been. We'd have to study the bill pretty extensively, but anything that can help us do our jobs we are in favor of," said Mike Albon, a spokesman for Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing patrol employees. "Anything that would restrict us in doing our jobs, we don't like that."

    http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 1-ON.html#
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  6. #6
    Senior Member Rockfish's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    From FLA to GA as of 04/01/07
    Posts
    6,640
    ...and the five toed river wrangler.
    Now there's a real knee slapper!!
    Don't forget the one-eyed one-horned flying purple people-eater!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

  7. #7
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    California
    Posts
    65,443
    Quote Originally Posted by Rockfish
    ...and the five toed river wrangler.
    Now there's a real knee slapper!!
    Don't forget the one-eyed one-horned flying purple people-eater!

    That's the best laugh I've had all day Rockfish!
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •