Documents recently uncovered from Border Patrol
agents highlight the Obama administration’s failure to heed multiple
warnings from Border Patrol, local law enforcement, activist groups and
border region ranchers that relentlessly warned government officials
that proposed wilderness reserves would lead to national security
breaches and murder. The brouhaha began with Democrat Senator Bingaman’s S.1689 legislation that sought to expand wilderness areas along the
U.S./Mexico border. An example of a memo dated May 10, 2010 between
Bingaman’s office and Border Patrol discussed the need for “concessions
to law enforcement in S.1689” regarding maps and written impacts on
patrolling the border. Also dated the same day is a “memo with Bingaman press release- that noted the (Obama) administration supported this bill.” Moving along to May 12, 2010 memos from Border
Patrol in Tucson and Albuquerque want info on “snakes in the grass,” DHS
talking points and a copy of the talk on border tours.” Particularly concerning, on May 18, 2010 “Santa
Teresa (BP) Office is aware of problems of WSA/WA (wilderness areas).
These environmental protections (WA) severely limit BP’s (Border Patrol)
ability to carry out its National Security Mission along the
international border and surrounding area.” The memo also redacted some
changes before it went on to explain, “The wilderness areas has (sic)
strict access requirements and covers a large area where enforcement
capabilities are limited.” Luna County Sheriff Raymond Cobos said the
wilderness designation would “hamstring effective law enforcement” and
Hidalgo County Sheriff Saturnino Madero found it “highly inadvisable” to
place such restrictions on his officers. One of the final emails on June 18, 2010 to Border
Patrol was “asking what White House tour should see along the four
Border States? And what are the five top challenges.” In July of 2010, agencies involved with S.1689 and
widening the range of wilderness preserves along the southern border hit
a bump in the road and revealed, “sit back on it, it is a very
sensitive issue of late.” A document dated May 4, 2010 that originated in the
El Paso BP Sector, inadvertently escaped some redaction: “If
completely realized, the restrictions of the WD (wilderness) will
re-define the very nature of how the objectives and elements of the
National Strategy are carried out in pursuit of gaining operational
control of our nation’s borders.” Another example was found in a February 10, 2010
email, “Santa Teresa concept of operations. The mission is preventing
terrorist and terrorist weapons from entering the US. We operate under
the MOU, but the station needs the ability to patrol within the areas
(WA) with less restrictions.”Contents of the emails concluded that the main
issue of wilderness land designations on the border had little to do
with national security and public safety. It was driven almost
exclusively by political concerns...more
more Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Obama administration deemed border security murders as an acceptable risk; Emails show Border Patrol opposed Bingaman wilderness bill
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