The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
PHOENIX — The Department of the Interior today announced that a coordinated border-security operation led by the Bureau of Land Management successfully safeguarded public lands across southern Arizona, protecting communities, visitors and critical natural resources.
“Operations like this show our commitment to securing the border, protecting communities, and conserving America’s public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “We are delivering on the Trump administration’s priorities of strong border security and responsible stewardship of our natural resources.”
As part of ongoing Operation Securing America’s Border Resources, Bureau of Land Management rangers and special agents worked alongside law enforcement professionals from the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Border Patrol from Oct. 31 through Nov. 9. This multi-agency effort focused patrols across the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Coronado National Forest, Sonoran Desert National Monument and other nearby public lands.
“Operation Securing America’s Border Resources demonstrates the professionalism, dedication and unique skillset of our law enforcement officers,” said Eric Kriley, Bureau of Land Management Director of Law Enforcement. “Their work protects communities and ensures the safety and integrity of America’s public lands.”
During the successful operation, officers apprehended 48 individuals illegally present in the United States; arrested two U.S. citizens for illegal alien smuggling; conducted 37 traffic stops and seized four vehicles linked to smuggling; seized 46.5 pounds of methamphetamine and 3g of cocaine; and made 45 public contacts, inspected resource sites and repaired multiple fence breaches within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona.
“The success of this surge reflects what can be achieved when federal, state, tribal and local agencies coordinate with a shared mission,” said Josiah Andrews, Bureau of Land Management Special Agent in Charge, Region 5. “Our rangers and agents bring exceptional skill to an extremely challenging environment, and we are grateful for their tireless commitment to public safety.”
The Department of Justice has accepted federal prosecution for several individuals and will pursue appropriate legal action. Two people face alien-smuggling charges under 8 USC 1324. Three are charged as material witnesses under 18 USC 3144. Sixteen face charges under 8 USC 1325 and 1326 for unlawful entry or reentry after deportation.
Operation Securing America’s Border Resources is the Bureau of Land Management’s coordinated effort to combat illegal activity, protect natural and cultural resources and support border security. The Bureau works closely with Department of Homeland Security agencies and state, tribal and local partners to uphold federal law and maintain safety on public lands.
As the steward of 191 miles of the U.S.–Mexico border and 8.8 million acres of border-region public lands, the Bureau of Land Management plays a critical role in safeguarding communities, visitors and irreplaceable resources such as the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, which is a nearly 57,000-acre remnant of the Southwest’s once-vast riparian ecosystems. Surge operations like the recently completed Operation Securing America’s Border Resources are essential to protecting these unique lands and resources.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Related ContentWASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior is proposing to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, aligning with Secretary Doug Burgum’s commitment to restoring balance in federal land management by prioritizing multiple-use access, empowering local decision-making and supporting responsible energy development, ranching, grazing, timber production and recreation across America’s public lands.
The 2024 Public Lands Rule, formally known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, made conservation (i.e., no use) an official use of public lands, putting it on the same level as BLM’s other uses of public lands. The previous administration had treated conservation as “no use,” meaning the land was to be left idle rather than authorizing legitimate uses of the land like grazing, energy development or recreation. However, stakeholders, including the energy industry, recreational users and agricultural producers, across the country expressed deep concern that the rule created regulatory uncertainty, reduced access to lands, and undermined the long-standing multiple-use mandate of the BLM as established by Congress. Now, the BLM proposes to rescind this rule in full.
“The previous administration’s Public Lands Rule had the potential to block access to hundreds of thousands of acres of multiple-use land – preventing energy and mineral production, timber management, grazing and recreation across the West,” said Secretary Doug Burgum. “The most effective caretakers of our federal lands are those whose livelihoods rely on its well-being. Overturning this rule protects our American way of life and gives our communities a voice in the land that they depend on.”
The Public Lands Rule exceeded the BLM’s statutory authority by placing an outsized priority on conservation or no-use at the expense of multiple-use access, threatening to curtail grazing, energy development, recreation and other traditional land uses. Many rural communities depend on public lands for livelihoods tied to agriculture, mining and energy production. Rescinding the rule restores BLM to its legal mandate and protects these economic drivers from restrictive land-use policies. The people who depend on public lands for their livelihoods have every incentive to conserve them and have been doing so for generations—no new rule was needed to force what is already a way of life.
By proposing to roll back the Public Lands Rule, Interior is committed to no longer sidelining local voices by returning more authority back to states, counties and tribes who are directly impacted by the management of public lands. Additionally, rescinding the rule eliminates uncertainty for industry stakeholder concerning potential litigation risks and permitting delays. Consistent with Secretary’s Order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” the rescission of the Public Lands Rule will eliminate unnecessary barriers to energy development and support the multiple-use mandate of the BLM by not prioritizing conservation over all other uses.
From the date that the Federal Register notice publishes, a 60-day comment period will open on the proposed rule rescission.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Copyright © 2026 Cochise Times - All rights reserved
Community Broadcasting Local News and Information