Supporters say the measure is needed to give border agents unfettered access to rugged lands now controlled by the Interior Department and Forest Service. They say laws such as the Wilderness Act and Endangered Species Act prevent agents from driving vehicles on huge swaths of land _ leaving it to wildlife, illegal immigrants and smugglers who can walk through the territory undisturbed.
Opponents, including hunters, conservationists and Latino advocacy groups, call the bill a heavy-handed fix that guts important environmental protections.
The measure faces dim prospects in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
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