Bingaman Calls for Comprehensive Survey of New Mexico-Mexico Border

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today called on the International Boundary and Water Commission to undertake a comprehensive survey of the New Mexico-Chihuahua border.

In a letter to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), Bingaman said it is important to have a clear definition of the border in order to avoid confusion and costly mistakes like the most recent one involving the misplacement of some vehicle barriers.

"Uncertainty regarding the precise delineation of the international border between Mexico and the United States is problematic in several respects. As the recent incident involving the mistakenly placed vehicle barrier between monument markers 30 and 31 demonstrates, the lack of a clearly marked international boundary can lead to the waste of taxpayer money and hamper border security efforts if barriers have to be torn down and rebuilt because they were not placed in the correct location. It also impacts residents living along the border, such as ranchers, who spend considerable money constructing cattle fence based on government markers to prevent livestock from roaming over the border.

"It is unacceptable to have a border that is in flux. Governmental agencies and border residents need to be able to reasonably rely on the fact that the border will not be moved several feet each time an additional survey is completed. We need to be careful before we concede or take territory from our southern neighbor," Bingaman wrote.

Bingaman asked IBWC to provide an explanation of the process that has been used, and that is currently being used, to determine the exact location of the New Mexico-Chihuahua border and provide his office with information regarding the survey process. He also asked for information on what can be done to establish a firm border with Mexico that both nations can depend on for future planning.

"I believe that it would be beneficial for both Mexico and the United States to have IBWC undertake a comprehensive survey of the New Mexico-Chihuahua border," Bingaman wrote

Bingaman was instrumental in getting Customs and Border Protection to act quickly to begin rebuilding new vehicle barrier along the border to replace a portion that was mistakenly constructed on Mexican territory. Additionally, he worked to ensure that the new barrier includes built-in cattle fencing to help ranchers protect their animals from roaming over the international boundary and help prevent the spread of livestock diseases.

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