Arizona Borderlands Protection and Preservation Act

Arizona Borderlands Protection and Preservation Act

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of the Interior to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel with access to federal lands for security activities, including: (1) routine motorized patrols; and (2) deployment of communications, surveillance, and detection equipment.

DHS, Interior, and USDA may provide education and training to CBP personnel on the natural and cultural resources present on individual federal land units.

Access authority shall not apply to private or state-owned land within federal land boundaries.

The requirements of this section shall terminate four years after the date of enactment of this Act.

(Sec. 4) The Government Accountability Office shall submit a report to Congress that includes:

• an analysis of the actions taken pursuant to this Act, including their impact on border security and on the natural and cultural resources on impacted federal lands;
• an assessment of the 2006 Memos of Understanding between DHS, USDA, and Interior regarding access to federal and Indian lands for border security activities;
• a sector-by-sector analysis of the expected impact of applying the requirements of this Act to the entire U.S. land border; and
• a sector-by-sector analysis of the costs incurred by each Department relating to managing and mitigating for illegal border activity on federal lands, and the impact of illegal traffic on wildlife and on natural, cultural, and historic resources.