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Sierra Club Border Policy CampaignBorder Film • REAL ID • Solution • Borderlands Map
Section 102 of REAL ID gives unprecedented power to a politically appointed individual (Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security) to waive all local, state, and federal laws in order to facilitate the construction of infrastructure along all U.S. borders. There is a better way to address border security which does not result in the destruction of public lands and wildlife. The Borderlands Conservation and Security Act, introduced by Congressman Raúl Grijalva, will introduce common sense into border policy. Write your representatives today and ask them to support the Borderlands Conservation and Security Act. If you would like to get involved in grassroots organizing in your area please contact: Sean Sullivan Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter, 202 E. McDowell Rd, Suite 277, Phoenix, AZ 85004, (602) 253-8633 |
The Sierra Club’s very foundation is in protecting public lands and the Grand Canyon Chapter has long made its public lands work a centerpiece of its efforts and one of its top priorities. The United States government's policy to deter human movement across the U.S./Mexico border has resulted in the redirection of human traffic to sensitive and remote public lands. Both border traffic and Border Patrol activities attempting to deter undocumented immigration have resulted in severe damage to fragile lands along the entire border. Rare and unique species such as the Sonoran pronghorn, jaguar, ocelot, and many other species that inhabit the border region are threatened by these actions. 
Current border policy relies on the construction of walls through sensitive lands which are home to a wide range of species. These walls split ecosystems in two and disrupt natural wildlife migration. Walls have been and continue to be constructed along the border in Arizona, California, and Texas. The construction of border walls is in direct conflict with environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Clean Water Act, among others, due to Section 102 of the