TRACK No.3                                                 

BORDER SECURITY POLICIES AND THEIR IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMET AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY

Overview:

      Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States has stepped up security along the U.S./Mexico border. As a result of increased security measures, more immigrants from Mexico have been forced to cross through the most isolated and dangerous stretches of the border, causing a higher immigrant death toll each year. The environmental community has joined with human rights activists to address this issue due to the negative impacts of tightened security on wildlife and natural resources. Increased immigrant traffic in remote areas, results in solid waste issues and impacts to wildlife habitat. Efforts to apprehend migrants also affect habitat: the U.S. Border Patrol has built fences and lights that can disturb wildlife and prevent the natural migration of species, and plans to "fortify" the border include more miles of fences and roads, more boat ramps and more lights.

     The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for these border-tightening actions has been deemed inadequate. By the Border Patrol’s own admission, these proposals will adversely impact wildlife movement and dispersal corridors; improved roads will lead to increased vehicle speeds and will potentially increase the number of accidental wildlife deaths; new or extended fences and roads will result in more habitat fragmentation; all-night stadium lighting will potentially impact bats, birds, cats and other nocturnal species; soil compaction and vegetation disturbance from increased vehicle and foot traffic will result in widespread degradation of wildlife habitat. Several endangered species, including the Sonoran Pronghorn and the jaguar, are dependent on habitat and wildlife corridors that will be compromised by this proposal. Despite these impacts, the US Border Patrol has not yet completed the federally required consultation with US Fish and Wildlife Service, which analyzes potential impacts to Endangered Species, in clear violation of Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.

Discussion and Goal:

      The goal of the Border Security track is to strengthen and/or foster collaboration among environmental and social justice groups to address security policies impacting human health and the environment. It will focus specifically on linkages among seemingly disparate issues such as NAFTA’s impact on maize farmers in Mexico (leading to increased immigration pressure), immigration policy (tightening security in some areas and concentrating immigrants in others), and the legal framework, including the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

      Panelists will discuss their experience in developing collaborations to address border security issues. In addition, these individuals will pose challenges to the participants of the conference that will stimulate discussion and action for collaborative efforts. These challenges will be taken up by the conference participants in a series of working groups guided by a moderator. The working groups will examine strategies to ameliorate the effects of or effect change in border security policies.

      An additional goal of the track is to attract new groups, especially those on the Mexican side of the border, to this issue and to identify what a binational coalition might achieve. Representatives working for national conservation organizations involved in protecting wildlife and endangered species will come together with those working for grassroots organizations who have to deal with these policies in their communities. Broad input and involvement can help elevate this issue to the level of a binational policy debate.

Current Action on the Issue:

      The Southwest Office of Defenders of Wildlife and Derechos Humanos have joined forces with the Sierra Club to develop a campaign to draw attention to these issues. They have recently conducted a major effort to solicit public comment to the EIS issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for increased Border Patrol activity.

      In addition, the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club sued the Immigration and Naturalization Service over its Operation Rio Grande, a border security initiative. Academic symposia have focused on the issue, notably those held by the University of New Mexico and SCERP.

Informational Needs/Issues to Address:

There are a variety of topics that may be touched upon during this track:

• Impacts at discrete locations along the border and how they differ.
• Impacts in rural vs. urban areas (i.e. parks, reservations, cities, etc.).
• Policies (some environmental, many not) that have led to the current situation.
• Policies and initiatives that might be amenable to change – in the short, medium, and long term.
• Examples of successful collaboration across issues (e.g., environment and human rights) and how they have been sustained.
• Impacts of security policies and practices on cross-border collaboration (e.g., where groups can meet, who can participate, etc.).
• How to identify people and organizations who are knowledgeable about or potentially concerned with these issues and facilitate their involvement in a larger initiative.
• How to communicate the problems and linkages among issues to the general public.