Former Border Patrol Agents declared that the Wilderness Bill (S.1689) proposed in Dona Ana County "is a danger to the security of the United States."

After detailing multiple problems that occur in similar border areas in Arizona, the former agents observe that, "Citizens of southern New Mexico should be aware of the consequences of such Congressional action." In other words, the citizens should be made aware that if Congress passes the bill, the United States but especially southern New Mexico will be less safe.

Violence is already spreading across the southern border. The wilderness will provide new corridors of access for drug trafficking and human smuggling.

In their letter to Senator Bingaman, the former border patrol agents write about problems in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and other areas in Arizona where special use land has shown us the problems we can expect under his bill.

I was Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks. In that capacity, I toured the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Park Rangers showed where the park is routinely used for trafficking of humans and drugs. The area is so dangerous that about half of the National Monument is placed off limits to American tourists. That means that the U.S. Government has lost control of a couple of hundred thousand acres on our side of the border and cannot guarantee the safety of Americans in the area.

In the Border Agents letter, they declare that while illegal human entry into the U.S. has declined in all sectors, deaths in Organ Pipe are up 40% in 2009 compared to 2007.

In a straightforward warning to the Congress, the former agents state:

"Congress should recognize that imposing Wilderness protections on an external boundary of the United States effectively re-draws the line of defense to the nearest major east-west highway north from such a wilderness.  In the case of S.1689 the effective defense line becomes Interstate Highway 10 to the north. In Dona Ana County, such action exposes the newly upgraded interstate rail line (which accommodates approximately 80 trains per day) and the major interstate gas line on the northern edge of that proposed wilderness area."

There are less restrictive designations which would allow Border Patrol agents access to patrol the border and still would keep development from occurring but those options are not explored in the Senate Bill.

So, Senator Bingaman's bill will make Las Cruces more susceptible to flood damage since earth dams in the watershed which empties into the city will be off limits to mechanized equipment and southern New Mexico will be more susceptible to danger from an unsecured border.

Congressman Teague failed to take a position on the bill stating at the hearing that:

"My approach to the wilderness designation we are discussing today is the same as my approach to representing this district. I did not assume that I already knew the best answer.  Instead, over the course of the last year, I sat down many times with the people who cared about this issue - and I did a lot more listening than talking because I think we need to get this right. Ultimately, no one group will - or should - get everything out of this process that they want."