Illegal Immigrants Trashing the Environment Along Southern Border

Katie Pavlich | January 07, 2011 9:20 AM

The State of Arizona has launched a new website to draw attention to the massive amounts of trash left behind by illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico.

In an already cash-strapped state, this problem (which can be easily solved with real border security) is costing Arizona taxpayers even more money.

From Arizona Border Trash:

The collection and disposal of waste in remote areas along Arizona's 370-mile border with Mexico poses difficult challenges. An estimated more than 2,000 tons of trash is discarded annually in Arizona's borderlands. A variety of federal and state government entities, Native American tribes and private landowners are affected by the problem, and addressing it requires extensive coordination.
The environmental impact caused by illegal immigration, and the trash left behind, is increasingly being found in areas that are more fragile and remote.