"There are dozens of tribal nations with lands along the U.S. borders.

Our families, sacred sites and cultural treasures and traditions are based here, and protecting this heritage is critical to our identity and our sense of community. That's why a bill recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives was so disconcerting to American Indians. It proposed to waive protections for public lands and those who live or hunt or graze cattle within 100 miles of the northern or southern borders — under the guise of national security.

The border-control bill was buried in a massive public-lands bill, passed by the House, sponsored by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah. H.R. 2578, as amended and approved by the House, allows U.S. Border Patrol to build roads and airstrips and forward-operating bases, erect vehicle barriers, and close off national parks, forests, and grazing lands to the public at a moment's notice within that 100 mile radius."

Get the Story:
Kesner C. Flores Jr.: Border-control bill an affront to American Indians (The Seattle Times 7/9)

Related Stories:
House approves measure to allow Border Patrol to bypass laws (06/20)
Oliver Semans: Border 'security' bill a major threat to tribes (03/12)
Sen. Tester: 'Security' bill poses a threat to tribal sovereignty (12/01)