NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Approximately 109,651 acres of federal land in New Mexico along the Mexico border will be transferred to the Department of the Army to support U.S. Border Patrol operations in securing the border, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced Tuesday.
The land will be transferred to the Army for a period of three years. According to a news release from the U.S. Department of the Interior, this land transfer will allow the Army to construct and maintain border security infrastructure, increase regular patrols by federal personnel, disrupt foreign terrorist threats to the country, and curb illegal cross-border activities.
“Securing our border and protecting our nation’s resources go hand in hand,” Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated in the news release. “The American people gave President Trump a mandate to make America safe and strong again. This transfer reflects Interior’s commitment to public safety, national security and responsible stewardship of our public lands.”
In addition to the border security, the Army will also work to prevent unauthorized human activity in the ecologically sensitive areas along the southern border. Officials said these lands serve as habitat for 23 federally endangered species and are the home of cultural sites that range from small artifact scatters to large multi-room pueblos.
The U.S. Department of the Interior also said the Bureau of Land Management will work with the Army to ensure that some uses will continue to support local grazing and mining.
