BREAKING NEWS: Bureau of Land Management officials confirm that the two men found shot to death yesterday near the U.S.-Mexico border were discovered on federal land located in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, not far from where Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll was shot last month by a band of suspected smugglers. House Republicans, lead by Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT),… Read more »

Protecting endangered species interfering with border security: U.S. Republicans Randy Boswell Vancouver Sun May 26, 2010 A group of Republican lawmakers says policies aimed at protecting the grizzly bear and other cross-boundary species along the U.S.-Canada border are putting wildlife conservation ahead of national security on America's northern frontier. In a statement released… Read more »

While much attention has been given to national security threats on public lands along the southern border, similar problems also exist along the U.S. northern border. As the longest contiguous border in North America, over 1,000 miles of the U.S.-Canada border are on federal land. In most places, it is delineated by no more than a ditch or clear-cut through a forest and touches 13 states… Read more »

Yesterday, President Obama met with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to discuss a variety of issues including border security and protecting public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to a joint statement: “The Presidents underscored their commitment to manage the region in a way that enhances security and protects these areas for wildlife preservation, ecosystem restoration,… Read more »

The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), a professional union representing more than 17,000 Border Patrol Agents and support staff, sent a letter yesterday in support of H.R. 5016, a bill to prevent the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture from implementing policies that restrict or impede Border Patrol from carrying out their mission to secure the U.S.… Read more »

Only weeks after Republican Committee Ranking Members introduced legislation to ensure Border Patrol agents’ operational control of the border isn’t compromised by Department of Interior environmental policies, a shooting occurred on public lands near the border. On Friday, April 30, Pinal County Sheriff Deputy Louie Puroll was ambushed and shot by five drug smugglers in the Table Top… Read more »

As the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats scramble to cobble together a response to growing concerns on the U.S.-Mexico border - particularly on federal lands, where Border Patrol is unable to effectively monitor and patrol - a recent comment from Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar has shed some light on DOI’s inability to address the… Read more »

Claim: “Collaborative work between DOI staff and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has allowed for border security infrastructure to be strategically located, including on federal lands, to meet DHS security requirement and goals.” (Deseret News, 4/14/10) Fact: While some… Read more »

Securing the border is the first priority Washington Examiner Editorial April 19, 2010 A feud between the Departments of the Interior and Homeland Security over federal wilderness areas that constitute 40 percent of the nation's southern border has been undermining the mission of both agencies for nearly a decade. This adolescent refusal to cooperate threatens the security of all… Read more »

House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday that would prohibit the Department of the Interior from using environmental regulations to interfere with the Department of Homeland Security’s attempts to secure the nation’s southern border. As The Examiner reported in February, an ongoing feud between the two federal departments has left 4.3 million acres of federal wilderness… Read more »