Writing in Indian Country Today, Senator John Tester of Montana says that a bill before the U.S. House of Representatives “hands the U.S. Department of Homeland Security unprecedented power to build roads, fences, buildings, or even watchtowers on public land administered by the Departments of Interior and Agriculture within 100 miles of Montana’s northern border.” This area includes 5 Indian reservations.
According to the Senator, The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act (H.R. 1505) “permits the Department of Homeland Security to unilaterally waive public land laws in order to achieve whatever it deems as “operational control” of the border area. That means if government agents wanted to pave over sacred burial grounds because they believe it might help them catch a suspect, they could do so without asking tribes.”
