16. Department of the Interior · Minor
Secure the border to protect tribal lands
Printed page 537 16. Department of the Interior
“Secure the nation’s border to protect the sovereignty and safety of tribal lands.”
What has happened
- Partially done
Interior transferred federal land along the New Mexico border to the Army to create a National Defense Area, and followed with public land orders establishing National Defense Operating Area withdrawals in Doña Ana, Luna and Hidalgo Counties, New Mexico (2025-04-21), Yuma County, Arizona (2025-07-25 and 2025-09-11) and San Diego and Imperial Counties, California (2025-12-15), plus a transfer to the Navy (2025-12-10). BLM rangers and special agents ran Operation Securing America's Border Resources across southern Arizona from 31 October to 9 November 2025, patrolling the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Coronado National Forest and Sonoran Desert National Monument. Substantial border work on Interior lands; nothing found addresses tribal sovereignty or tribal-land safety in terms, and the Quote's object is the security of the border adjoining tribal lands.
- Interior press release: Secretary of the Interior Transfers Federal Lands Along New Mexico Border to the Army to Protect Resources
- Interior press release: Interior Secures Southern Arizona Public Lands in Major Border Operation — Operation Securing America's Border Resources
- BLM: Public Land Order No. 7963; National Defense Operating Area Withdrawal, Doña Ana, Luna, and Hidalgo Counties, NM
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
Interior’s contribution to border security in the window is real and is on public lands, some of it adjoining tribal nations; none of it is framed as protecting tribal sovereignty.
- Action
- other
- Object
- Security of the U.S. border adjoining tribal lands
- ID
- 1526