Posted on September 20, 2019

Interior Department Transfers 560 Acres of Public Land for Border Wall Construction

Bowen Xiao, Epoch Times, September 20, 2019

Approximately 560 acres of federal land will be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Army to facilitate work on roughly 70 miles of border barrier, the Interior Department announced on Sept. 18.

The transfer of administrative jurisdiction of the federal land is in response to a series of applications submitted by the Army for construction or replacement of barriers along the southern border. The land transfer doesn’t include national parks or any Native American land.

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Bernhardt said since the crisis is so vast, it must be addressed “aggressively” and with “extraordinary measures.” He added there are serious national security, drug enforcement, and other immigration challenges that staff face along the border.

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The affected land includes parts of Luna and Hidalgo counties in New Mexico, San Diego County in California, and Yuma County in Arizona.

The transfer of the jurisdiction to the Army is temporary, lasting for a period of three years, and is solely for border security purposes, according to the Interior Department.

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