Democrat Ron Barber's first vote in Congress to back a GOP border bill has raised the ire of some fellow Democrats, and drawn a rebuke from his primary opponent in the next election, state Rep. Matt Heinz.
Barber crossed party lines last week to vote for a Republican-backed measure that would allow the Border Patrol to bypass more than a dozen environmental laws on all federally managed lands within 100 miles of the borders with Mexico and Canada.
Barber said the legislation is far from perfect but will give Border Patrol agents more access to pursue smugglers. Bolstering border security was one of the promises he made to voters on the campaign trail during the recent Congressional District 8 special election in which he defeated Republican Jesse Kelly.
"The people who live and work along the border feel very unsafe on their lands," Barber said this week. "They really want that we do everything we can to stop the cartels from moving through their lands and bringing all sorts of problems."
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But the measure is viewed by many Democrats and environmental groups as unnecessary and extreme, invoking border security to ignore environmental issues.
"The bill actually pushes ideology but fails to solve any problem," Heinz said. "That's why I would have voted no."
Heinz is challenging Barber in the Aug. 28 Democratic primary in the newly-drawn Congressional District 2. The winner will face either Martha McSally or Mark Koskiniemi, who square off in the Republican primary, in the Nov. 6 general election.
While supporters see Barber's vote as seeking bipartisan solutions, Heinz said, "It's not being bipartisan when you vote yes for bad policy. We can build consensus to address immigration and border security without compromising our convictions as Democrats and without giving up our stewardship of the environment."
Barber defended his record on environmental issues and his relationship with Southern Arizona environmental leaders. He said he shouldn't be judged on one vote, saying he'll have other opportunities to vote on environmental bills.
Barber also said the 100-mile zone in the bill is excessive and that he hopes to have the opportunity to amend the bill so that zone is drawn much closer to the border.
The Obama administration opposes the bill, saying it creates a false choice between the environment and border security. And Border Patrol leaders have testified before the Senate that they have good working relationship with agencies that oversee public lands along the border, and the existing federal rules do not affect the overall security of their areas of operation.
The measure still must pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, where its prospects are dim.
Heinz said he's speaking out against Barber's vote to represent concerns expressed by many Democrats in Southern Arizona about the vote.
"The problem can be solved in another way," Heinz said. "Interagency collaboration and cooperation are the answer. There is no need to abandon a century of environmental protections."
But Barber said he knows what needs to be done to bolster border security based on his six years as former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' district director, during which he spent time learning about the issues from the federal government and residents and ranchers.
"Border security is paramount in this district," Barber said. "Maybe Representative Heinz doesn't know how paramount it is. … One of the things we have to do is stop the drug cartels. Anything we can do in Congress to further that mission I'm going to support."
Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com
