GOP’s Border Bill Asks Americans: Are You In the #DRONEZONE?
Dangerous Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Environment Bill Set for Vote Today in House; Natural Resources Democrats Launch #DRONEZONE Website to Alert Americans; Broad Coalition Fighting Bill
Natural Resources Committee, Washington, DC, June 19, 2012
On Friday, President Obama took steps to create a path to citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants. Today, House Republicans will advance their anti-immigrant and anti-environmental policies with a bill that will expand the scope of the Department of Homeland Security’s authority in a 100-mile zone on the two U.S. land borders, curtailing American rights, liberties, and bedrock environmental protections.
The bill, authored by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and included as part of a larger GOP giveaway of America’s public lands, would exempt DHS from dozens of U.S. laws that protect American citizens from pollution, land rights, religious freedom, and other liberties and protections to create a 100-mile “Operational Control Zone” for DHS. It would expand out to 100 miles the area where DHS can use drones to conduct surveillance on our citizens, and represents a new front opened by Republicans in their war on immigrants.
“Instead of working with President Obama and Democrats to help pass the DREAM act, House Republicans instead are looking to create a nightmare scenario around our borders,” said Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee. “If this bill is passed, Americans from Maine to Montana to New Mexico will have to start asking if they will be living in the GOP’s drone zone.”
In response to this GOP effort, the Natural Resources Democrats have joined an emergency coalition formed to fight the legislation, which includes dozens of Hispanic and Latino, environmental, tribal, and sportsmen and hunting groups. That coalition today sent a letter to members of Congress opposing the legislation. And neither DHS nor its Customs and Border Patrol support or need the legislation.
The Natural Resources Democrats also launched #DRONEZONE, a website that features national and state maps to help Americans see if they will be living in this new surveillance zone where U.S. laws can be exempted. The website features more information on the legislation, and letters and statements in opposition to the GOP DRONEZONE bill.
In total, these new areas will comprise an area the size of California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. The bill coming to the House floor for a vote exempts laws like the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and more than 30 other laws and protections.
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