STORY FACTS:
-Half a million acres were when President Barack Obama signed a proclamation establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.
-The move fulfills a vow made during his 2014 SOTU address: "I'll use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations."
-The Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument will include nearly 500,000 acres
-WH claims the designation could generate $7.4M in economic activity from new visitors & business opportunities, while preserving access for sportsmen, ranchers and recreational users.
-Move is generating criticism from some lawmakers & local law enforcement agents who see it as a threat to security in a region where the influence of Mexican drug cartels, human smuggling and illegal immigration are all apparent
-The U.S. has 77 other national monuments, according to the organization National Park Advocates.
-The Bureau of Land Management operates 19 national monuments in 9 Western states, including AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, OR, UT and WA.
-In October 2012, Obama established the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in California.
TAYLOR'S POV:
-For over 26 years I was a border patrol agent - I spent 12 yrs in TX and over 14 yrs in Nogales, AZ - the largest drug smuggling corridor of the world.
-I still live on border and keep in touch with the people I trained who now run border control - they can't speak out about this, but I can.
-Border control has a gag order on them over this monument issue and 'illegals of interest' (which is what the call potential terrorists)
-We've already been through this in AZ - they are going through the same process with this monument as they did with the last, which also won't give border patrol unfettered access.
-By policy this administration says you don't have the right to go on federal lands with in 25 miles of the border - Why?
-In 8 hours an illegal smuggling drugs can average 4.5 miles distance. That gives patrol agents 37 miles of border to over take a smuggler.
-The people wanted to protect Organ Mountains but not Desert Peaks portion - govt combined the two & are engaged in political deception, saying most people wanted the designation.
-The only people this law assists are the drug and illegal immigrant smugglers - providing an entrance for the drugs and illegal immigrants.
-Obama admin doesn't care about what happens at the border. People that live and work there don't count - small enough group that they're expendable.
-These people don't trust congress to fix the problems that they created, they resent congress for not enforcing immigration laws already on the books.
-There are over 30 mil illegal immigrants in this country, over 5 mil have criminal records in U.S. I don't think people realize how serious that is.
ELEMENTS:
SOT IN INTRO - PRESIDENT OBAMA MAKES DESIGNATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Today I'm here to announce that I'm using my executive authority to protect more of our pristine landscapes by designating the Organ Mountains Desert Peaks region a national monument. (applause)
SOT IN INTRO - SHERIFF TODD, GARRISON DONA ANNA COUNTY, NM - SAYS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE BORDER ASK A RETIRE PATROLMAN
"We've have a lot of people coming across that are smuggling illegals across and also drugs and different things like that and these are one of the areas they use. It's just my experience having looked at other areas on the border such as Organ Mountain or the Organ Pipe in Arizona - the same thing will happen here.// I believe if you want to know the truth about what's happening on the border you should ask a retired border patrolman. They are more free to speak about what's going on."
FS: U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION RESPONSE
"This designation will in no way limit our ability to perform our important border security mission, and in fact provides important flexibility as we work to meet this ongoing priority."
TEASES:
8B TZ - PRESIDENT OBAMA - CAVING TO ENVIRONMENTALISTS' CALLS TO DESIGNATE AN AREA IN NEW MEXICO A NATIONAL MONUMENT. A FORMER BORDER PATROL AGENT - SOUNDING THE ALARM ON THE LAND GRAB. WHY HE SAYS THE MOVE WILL MAKE EVERY AMERICAN LESS SAFE.
8B TZ - THE NEW BATTLE OVER AMERICA'S BORDERS - BEING WAGED OVER A NATIONAL MONUMENT? WHY A FORMER BORDER PATROL AGENT IS RAISING RED FLAGS OVER THE PRESIDENT'S LATEST LAND DESIGNATION.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
ARTICLE:
Obama's Organ Mountain Monument Designation Causes Worry Along Border
Published May 22, 2014
| Fox News Latino
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared almost a half-million acres of rugged desert terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border as a national monument, marking the largest swath of land to be set aside for that purpose since he took office.
While praised by environmentalists, the move is generating criticism from some lawmakers in the West and local law enforcement agents who see Obama's use of power as a threat to security in a region where the influence of Mexican drug cartels, human smuggling and illegal immigration are all apparent.
House Speaker John Boehner and others also complained that the designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico is the latest example of Obama taking unilateral action to sidestep Congress.
"Once again, the president has chosen to bypass the legislative branch - and, in this case, do so in a manner that adds yet another challenge in our ongoing efforts to secure our southern border," Boehner said. "At a time of continued cartel violence in Mexico, we should not be putting any additional restraints on efforts to protect our borders."
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the designation will not limit their ability to perform the agency's mission along the border.
The campaign by environmentalists, hunters and tourism officials to gain wilderness protection for the Organ Mountains and Desert Peaks has dragged on for a decade, with numerous versions introduced by the state's delegation over the years.
New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, had most recently proposed legislation to protect the region, which includes hunting areas and features rock outcroppings, petroglyphs, ancient lava flows and sites such as Billy the Kid's Outlaw Rock and Geronimo's Cave.
After hosting a series of public meetings, the senators amended their proposal to include a buffer zone for law enforcement. With Wednesday's proclamation, critics say there are no provisions to allow for local law enforcement to patrol the area.
Dona Ana County Sheriff Todd Garrison recalled the times his deputies and federal agents were shot at as they pursued suspected drug smugglers through the area. He also talked about stolen cars that were used to ferry drugs through the desert and past border patrol checkpoints.
"If we have no ability to patrol that area, crime is going to increase. It will be akin to the Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona. I wonder how many years it will be before we have to post signs that say 'Enter at your own risk,'" Garrison said.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, was among those who sent letters to Obama asking him to refrain from establishing the monument. Bishop said letting the legislation work its way through Congress would have allowed for border security concerns to be addressed.
"His decision stands, and now we have to go back in and try and fix it. That is just a backward way of trying to have good government," Bishop said. "Originally the Antiquities Act was used to try and preserve stuff. These recent presidents are abusing the process to make a political statement, not to save anything."
Obama vowed during Wednesday's signing ceremony to make more proclamations using his executive power under the Antiquities Act to protect federal lands.
Republican Rep. Steve Pearce, whose congressional district covers the region, had proposed a designation for just 55,000 acres. He said years of work went in to developing a plan that would be acceptable to ranchers, business owners, sportsmen and conservationists. He said Obama ignored that "with the stroke of a pen."
Udall and Heinrich said Wednesday they will continue their legislative push to establish wilderness areas within the new monument and to release the restrictions that come along with such areas to give Border Patrol agents more flexibility.
Supporters of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks monument say setting aside the area could generate $7.4 million in economic activity from visitors and business opportunities. They say the designation could also lead to more federal funding and staffing for the Bureau of Land Management and the Border Patrol to enforce rules throughout the area.
"When you don't have enough management and staff that's always a problem, but also it's hard to control when the public doesn't value the resources," said Oscar Simpson with Backcountry Horsemen of New Mexico, one of the groups supporting the monument. "It's all an education process. It's making people understand these are really unique things and you need to protect them." |