[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



HONORING THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION OF CLEVELAND 
                  NATIONAL FOREST IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DUNCAN HUNTER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 1999

  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
accomplishments of our men and women of the U.S. Forest Service Law 
Enforcement division in the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego 
county's back country.
  During the year 1996, twenty-two illegal immigrants died from 
exposure in the Cleveland National Forest. In 1997 nineteen died. Since 
1996, Mr. Tommy LaNier, the Special Agent-in-Charge, of law enforcement 
for the forest and his team of dedicated officers have apprehended over 
20,000 illegal aliens in the Cleveland Forest, potentially saving many 
immigrant's lives who could well have perished in hostile conditions.
  The apprehension of illegals in the forest is also serving to pervent 
further ecological degradation to the forest. In addition, the strong 
law enforcement in the forest precludes portions of public lands from 
having to be closed to U.S. taxpaying families who want to visit our 
natural areas.
  Foot trails in once pristine natural habitat have now been pounded 
into the forest floor by as many as 300 illegal entrants in a given day 
passing through the Cleveland National Forest. These illegal trails 
grow deeper and deeper by the day causing erosion and irreparable 
damage to the forest. Contamination of streams is a major concern and 
in 1997 over eleven tons of trash left by illegal aliens passing 
through the forest had to be collected.
  It is interesting to note that the U.S. Forest Service, nationwide, 
has more acreage and more visitors per year than the National Park 
Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service combined. The U.S. 
Forest Service has twice the number of violations to respond to with 
less than than half the enforcement officers of the two previously 
mentioned agencies.
  The Cleveland National Forest is unique in its locality; it lays 
continguous to the Southwest U.S.A./Mexico border. The enhanced efforts 
of the U.S. Border Patrol in the San Diego area have pushed thousands 
of illegal aliens, heading North into the interior cities of the U.S., 
into this forest. Our defense against this invasion is a dedicated 
group of five U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers who are on 
call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  The rate of incidence of illegal aliens campfires rose from 855 fires 
in 1996 to 1,044 in 1997. Law Enforcement officers have the dual burden 
of apprehending these illegal aliens so as to prevent their camp fires 
from breaking loose and endangering not only the forest, but also the 
illegals hiding in the forest. Fire damage is not the illegal's only 
threat to the forest. Degradation of the forest from the uncontrolled 
massive gathering of firewood for cooking and nighttime warming fires 
by thousands of trespassers in devastating and will take centuries to 
mend.
  Mr. Speaker, Tommy LaNier and the Law Enforcement officers of the 
U.S. Forest Service have set a standard to which all law enforcement 
specifically, and public servants in general, can aspire. The efforts 
of these dedicated officers make it possible for taxpaying American 
citizens, from all walks of life, to safely enjoy some of the most 
beautiful forest area in our great nation. I invite all Members to 
stand with me in saluting the law enforcement efforts in the Cleveland 
National Forest by Tommy LaNier and his team.

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