As the Director of Litigation for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), I hereby submit this comment on behalf of Dolores Anna Chacon-Chavira and Rogelio Chavira in response to the department’s request for comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, as published in the Federal Register on September 28. 2021. I hereby incorporate by reference CIS’ comment submitted on November 29, 2021, as well, which is attached herein.
As private citizens who live on the border between Texas and Mexico, specifically El Paso, we personally experience the environmental effects of programs like DACA. When DHS unilaterally decides to grant benefits such as amnesty and work permits to illegal aliens if they have successfully made it across the border, it sends the unmistakable message to those contemplating making the trip that it is worth their while to cross, leading foreseeably to ever larger numbers of people crossing our property, interfering with our quiet enjoyment of our land and our sense of security. Furthermore, programs that cause more people to cross the border illegally effect fragile habitats on the border. Many southwest ecosystems are fragile and composed of an extraordinary and unique composition of native plant and animal species, many of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The amount of trash left by an increased border crossers alone is a significant environmental cost to our land which personally affects us.