Legislation aimed at improving conditions at the southern border of the United States was the focus of a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Federal Lands on Oct. 19. The hearing discussed four bills that addressed various issues related to immigration and the environment along the southern border.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, chair of the subcommittee said this about the issues on the Southern Border. “Our federal lands are being used and abused by the thousands of illegal aliens crossing over our wide-open southern border every week. As the Biden border crisis spills into our nation’s parks and lands with trash pileups, migrant shelters, and even illegal marijuana grow sites, Republicans on the Federal Lands Subcommittee are determined to reverse the damaging environmental consequences and ensure our public lands can be enjoyed by Americans for years to come.”
The first of the four bills was sponsored by Arkansas Rep. Bruce Wasterman and would require navigable roads to be installed along the southern border, for a minimum of 584 miles. The purpose of the roads is to ‘deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States” and to “gain operational control of the southern border,” according to the draft of the resolution, which has not been assigned a number. Access to those roads would only be granted to specific personnel.
Rep. Tiffany sponsored the “Trash Reduction and Suppressing Harm from Environmental Degradation at the Border (TRASHED BORDER) Act,” which focuses on reducing trash accumulation, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas on covered federal lands or where aliens without lawful immigration status are being housed or are otherwise illegally encroaching or camping on National Forest System lands or lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior.”
Two additional bills were also discussed during the hearing. House Resolution 1727, introduced by Maryland Rep. David Trone, sought to extend the Ohio Canal National Historical Park Commission through Sept. 30, 2024. House Resolution 5283, introduced by New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, aimed to prohibit the use of federal funds to house specified aliens on any land under the administrative jurisdiction of federal land management agencies.
The hearing included multiple panels, which featured outside experts and government officials. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Tory Helthecker, Associate Deputy Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, were among the attendees.
In conclusion, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a hearing to discuss legislation focused on improving conditions at the southern border of the United States. The bills addressed issues such as trash accumulation, access to the border, and the use of federal funds to house migrants. The hearing included various panels and government officials, highlighting the importance of finding solutions to the environmental and immigration challenges at the southern border.
