New national monument sparks border concerns

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. President Barack Obama on Wednesday declared almost a half-million acres of rugged desert terrain along the U.S.-Mexico border as a national monument, marking the largest swath of land to be set aside for that purpose since he took office.

While praised by environmentalists, the move is generating criticism from some lawmakers in the West and local law enforcement agents who see Obama’s use of power as a threat to security in a region where the influence of Mexican drug cartels, human smuggling and illegal immigration are all apparent.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the designation will not limit their ability to perform the agency’s mission along the border.

The campaign by environmentalists, hunters and tourism officials to gain wilderness protection for the Organ Mountains and Desert Peaks has dragged on for a decade, with numerous versions introduced by the state’s delegation over the years.

New Mexico Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, had most recently proposed legislation to protect the region.