Instead of securing the border...

[Gypsy]

...let's just shut down one of our national parks.

What. The. Hell. :mad:

There is video at the link.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/16/closes-park-land-mexico-border-americans/



Uptick in Violence Forces Closing of Parkland Along Mexico Border to Americans

Published June 16, 2010


About 3,500 acres of southern Arizona have been closed off to U.S. citizens due to increased violence at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The closed off area includes part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge that stretches along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu told Fox News that violence against law enforcement officers and U.S. citizens has increased in the past four months, forcing officers on an 80 mile stretch of Arizona land north of the Mexico border off-limits to Americans.

The refuge had been adversely affected by the increase in drug smugglers, illegal activity and surveillance, which made it dangerous for Americans to visit.

"The situation in this zone has reached a point where continued public use of the area is not prudent," said refuge manager Mitch Ellis.

“It’s literally out of control,” said Babeu. “We stood with Senator McCain and literally demanded support for 3,000 soldiers to be deployed to Arizona to get this under control and finally secure our border with Mexico. “

U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials have warned visitors in Arizona to beware of heavily armed drug smugglers and human traffickers.

“We need support from the federal government. It’s their job to secure the border and they haven’t done it,” said Babeu. “In fact, President Obama suspended the construction of the fence and it’s just simply outrageous.”

Signs have been posted warning Americans not to cross into the closed off territory south of Interstate 8. Babeu said the signs are not enough – he said Arizona needs more resources to help scale back the violence caused by the drug cartels.

“We need action. It’s shameful that we, as the most powerful nation on Earth, … can’t even secure our own border and protect our own families.”

[rdret1]

This would fit well in the reconquista thread.

[EasyIan]

"..get this under control and finally secure our border with Mexico."

I don't care how its done but this is an issue we can no longer sit on, especially now that American citizens are being banned from a public reserve on U.S. soil. Next thing you know all citizens residing near the United States-Mexican border will be relocated inland because we cannot control the smugglers who illegally enter our country.

[Ret10Echo]

Those living on the border are already threatened....

Murdered Arizona Rancher Shot Multiple Times, Autopsy Finds

Published June 16, 2010
| FOXNews.com

An autopsy shows an Arizona cattle rancher killed three months ago on his property near the Mexican border suffered multiple gunshot wounds, MyFoxPhoenix.com reported.

The autopsy report was released in response to a public-records request by the Arizona Daily Star. However, about half of the five pages are redacted because Cochise County authorities say those sections contained information known only to the killer and investigators.

Arizona cattle growers association has noted the issue in an open statement:

Link is here (http://azcattlemensassoc.org/documentz/2010-april/2010ACGABorderSecurityPlan(2).pdf)

The U.S./Mexico border in southern Arizona has become a lawless region. Criminals, bandits and an international organized crime unit are operating with impunity in the region. Their trades are burglary, home invasion, drug smuggling, human smuggling, murder, extortion and kidnapping rackets. These organized crime units have been terrorizing northern Mexico for 20 years and have been terrorizing Southern Arizona for at least 10 years. These entities are extremely violent and dangerous and they have now succeeded in creating terror in Southern Arizona as they have in Northern Mexico.

The level of fear and frustration from southern Arizona’s Ranching Families has been building for sometime now. Along with these families other residents in the area have also experienced the mayhem and terror of these illegal actions and crimes. The level of lawlessness reached such a point that a small tight knit group of Southern Arizona individuals, who were determined to find solutions, began a quest of fact finding to identify actions needing to be deployed along the border with Mexico. These individuals have been meeting with prosecutors,

[rdret1]

They have made a lot of common sense proposals. It would basically make the border a DMZ, but if things keep going, that may be where we are heading.

[Ret10Echo]

I don't care how its done but this is an issue we can no longer sit on, especially now that American citizens are being banned from a public reserve on U.S. soil. Next thing you know all citizens residing near the United States-Mexican border will be relocated inland because we cannot control the smugglers who illegally enter our country.

How different is this from neighborhoods in major metropolitan areas where common citizens can not tread, roads you "just don't go down" or places you don't want to have car trouble..... ? It's just geographically larger. Urban or suburban flight has taken place in cycles throughout the United States.

Does this make it any better of a situation....No, but this is indicative of the "bad guys" playing to their strengths and the weakness of the authorities.

[Streck-Fu]

LINK (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/us-wildlife-service-media-report-of-border-refuge-closure-in-ariz-is-inaccurate/1)

Here is an excerpt from a statement today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Several media outlets have been inaccurately reporting that a massive stretch of the U.S. border at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was recently closed. Buenos Aires NWR in southern Arizona has not been closed to the public.

Nearly 5 years ago, a very small portion of the refuge closed to public access due to public safety concerns. However, the remainder (97%) of the refuge's 118,000 acres is open to the public for recreational activities such as hiking, camping, birdwatching and seasonal hunting.

Recent news items further falsely stated that the closure extends from the border 80 miles to the north. This distance is far from accurate. On October 6, 2006, roughly 3,500 acres, or 3%, of the refuge, was closed to public access due to human safety concerns. At that time there was a marked increase in violence along the border due to human and drug trafficking. The closed area extends north from the international border roughly ¾ of a mile. A notice of the closure, including a map has been on the refuge website since 2006.

At this time there are no plans to reopen this southernmost 3/4-mile-wide portion of the refuge. However, since 2006 the refuge has experienced a significant decline in violent activity in the area thanks to ongoing cooperation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The refuge will reopen the area at such time that it is determined to be safe for visitors.

[Utah Bob]

It's not a National Park.