ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Chertoff Blames Border Crossers For Land Damage
Tuesday, October 2, 2007; Page A17

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, whose department has come under fire from environmentalists for fencing off hundreds of miles of the U.S. border with Mexico at Congress's request, said yesterday that he knows of something worse for nature than a wall: illegal immigrants.

"Illegal migrants really degrade the environment. I've seen pictures of human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact in pristine areas," Chertoff told the Associated Press, in remarks confirmed by his spokesman. "And believe me, that is the worst thing you can do to the environment."

Chertoff spoke as DHS announced it has more than doubled the number of miles of border fencing in the year that ended Sunday, to more than 150. The agency is on track to meet a goal of 370 miles of fencing and 200 miles of vehicle barriers along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico by the end of 2008.

Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it will conduct environmental impact studies on two proposed stretches of fencing, one extending about 70 miles southeast of Rio Grande City in south Texas and another about four miles east of San Diego.

Environmentalists say studies are being done piecemeal and were neglected at six active construction sites in Arizona. They say fences affect migratory and mating patterns and destroy habitats used by 500 kinds of birds, as well as threatened species such as jaguars and the Sonoran pronghorn antelope. Construction crews and the Border Patrol use off-road vehicles that worsen the environmental damage caused by immigrants, they say.

Yesterday, the Sierra Club and Defenders of Wildlife appealed to the Interior Department to stop construction in a wildlife area on the San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona.

Congress has given Chertoff authority to waive legal requirements, including environmental laws, to build border barriers. Pending legislation could require DHS to consult with local and federal agencies to minimize environmental damage.

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There is plenty of room on either side of a fence for animals, and please tell me how a fence effects BIRDS!