Republican Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson will introduce legislation later Tuesday to better authorize federal law enforcement to patrol vast swathes of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act, obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller, would amend the Wilderness Act to allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to operate within the wilderness area covering southern California and Arizona. The wilderness area designation covers 1,171,768 acres across the southern border, according to the Congressional Research Service, including three areas totaling more than 1,123,000 acres in Arizona.
The bill would allow CBP to “access structures, installations, and roads; execute search and rescue operations; use motor vehicles, motorboats, and motorized equipment; conduct patrols on foot and on horseback; … deploy tactical infrastructure and technology; construct and maintain roads and physical barriers” and operate aircraft “within a wilderness area for the purpose of securing the international land borders of the United States.”
Read the bill here:
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Federal law enforcement officials have taken action 1,789,605 times in southwestern border encounters during fiscal year (FY) 2023, according to official statistics kept by CBP. That number is up slightly from the FY2021 total, but may remain lower than FY2022 if present trends continue. (RELATED: Border Patrol Sees Massive Surge In Illegal Migrants On Terror Watchlist)
“However well-intentioned, the federal wilderness designation for land along our southern border has created a massive blind spot for CBP officials seeking to maintain operational control of the border. My legislation would allow CBP officials to effectively carry out their enforcement responsibilities while also maintaining the sanctity of America’s vast wilderness areas,” Johnson said in a statement to the Daily Caller.
Former CBP Chief Raul Ortiz retired at the end of June, and President Joe Biden appointed former Del Rio sector chief Jason Owens as Ortiz’s replacement. Republicans have generally lauded the performance of CBP officials and agents, even as they have blasted Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for their handling of high levels of illegal immigration.
House Homeland Security Committee chairman Mark Green of Tennessee has been conducting an inquiry into Mayorkas’ handling of immigration issues, and the investigation could result in impeachment. The Republican Study Committee, which includes 175 House Republicans, came out in favor of impeaching Mayorkas on Tuesday.