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CommentsU.S. Trades Environment For Security at Border
The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge suddenly finds itself on the front line of the war against terror after the Department of Homeland Security took possession of land in the southern Arizona preserve to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Opponents say the planned 12- to 15-foot-tall steel fence and its construction will disrupt the habitat of jaguars, pygmy owls and other sensitive fauna in the refuge. In turn, undocumented immigrants would use more remote, ecologically delicate terrain as options to cross, they contend. The 5.8 acres along a 7-mile stretch at Sasabe has been a major crossing point.
The land deal was brokered in a swap for the property that previously was overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The manager of the refuge had issued a declaration the fence would have no significant impact on the refuge, but withdrew it several weeks before the land swap was agreed upon.
However, for the third time, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff exempted fence construction from environmental reviews usually required, saying the waivers avoid legal delays that threaten speedy completion. In turn, this will help lead to control of the border and reduce trash and other environmental damage that has occurred with the undocumented immigrants, officials say.
“This is another example of the federal government riding roughshod over America’s treasured lands and legal process in its rush to complete a highly ineffective and controversial border wall,” says Matt Clark, the Southwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife, an advocacy group.
