Defenders' Experts
Border Legislation
America’s border with Mexico includes national parks, forests, monuments, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and other environmentally sensitive areas. These lands and the wildlife that depend on them for survival rely on federal, state and local laws for protection. Unfortunately, Congress has authorized the construction of hundreds of miles border walls and roads to be built across these lands and has granted the Secretary of Homeland security the right to waive all federal, state and local laws in the construction of the wall.
As a result, fragile habitat has been destroyed, ecologically important water flows have been disrupted, wildlife corridors have been severed and protected land has been damaged. There is no existing plan for monitoring or mitigating impacts. Similarly, there has been almost no consultation with affected communities, or consideration of implementing more environmentally sensitive security alternatives.
The Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009
Defenders advocates a new approach to secure the border and protect the borderlands, and is working for passage of the H.R. 2076, Border Security and Responsibility Act, which was introduced by Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona on April 23, 2009.
The Border Security and Responsibility Act will help to better protect our borders, both in terms of security effectiveness and conservation. The legislation will:
- Repeal the Real ID Act waiver authority and restore the rule of law.
- Develop a new border security strategy informed by a comprehensive cost/effectiveness analysis of various border security alternatives.
- Develop a borderlands monitoring and mitigation plan to address the full range of ecological and environmental impacts of existing and any future border infrastructure and operations.
- Require meaningful consultation with private landowners as well as public-land and wildlife mangers prior to additional construction.
- Temporarily suspend construction of additional miles of border wall until the functional and cost assessments can be completed.
Border Security That Includes Borderland Conservation
Learn about the impacts of border activities on wildlife and sensitive lands and Defenders of Wildlife's proposed solutions.
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Publications, Fact Sheets and Letters
A timeline of events involving Department of Homeland Security actions since the passage of the REAL ID Act of 2005 and Secure Fence Act of 2007.
Fact sheet describing the impacts of border fences on central Arizona's Organ Pipe National Monument.
Continental DivideOur borderlands are in jeopardy. Learn more about the impacts of the border wall on communities, wildlife and the environment in this brochure featuring photography by the International League of Conservation Photographers.
En el LimiteLea nuestro extensivo reporte acerca de los retos que se enfrentan en la frontera Arizona-Mexico.
Letter from Congressmen from districts along the border to Department of Homeland Secretary Chertoff urging more public input on border wall construction.
November 2007 request for action from more than 40 conservationists, educators, scientists, and state and federal agency representatives have worked together for 3 years to identify the actions needed to mitigate the impacts of border security operations.
April 2007 stakeholder recommendations from a series of symposiums organized by Defenders of Wildlife and the Wildlands Project to examine border security impacts and make sound, science-based recommendations for addressing them.
