Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) plans to introduce legislation to address environmental damage to federal public lands caused by illegal immigration.

Lee, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, plans to introduce the Border Lands Conservation Act on Thursday. The legislation is aimed at tackling illegal immigration-related problems on public lands, such as trash buildup, abandoned vehicles, unauthorized roads, human waste, cattle trespassing, and wildfires.

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“This legislation provides the needed authorities and steps to secure the border, conserve land that is ravaged by illegal immigration, and stop the environmental destruction caused by unlawful entry,” a fact sheet for the bill reads.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has taken an aggressive approach to illegal immigration by enabling tougher enforcement along the borders and within the United States.

Lee’s bill, obtained by the Washington Examiner, would require collaboration between the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, and the Department of Homeland Security to inventory existing roads and create navigable road infrastructure aimed at deterring illegal entry across the southern and northern borders. 

It proposes to amend the Wilderness Act to allow DHS access to conduct operations within wilderness areas. DOI and the Department of Agriculture will not be allowed to impede or prohibit DHS search-and-rescue operations that take place within 100 miles of the southern or northern borders.

The bill would require, within one year of signing, the DOI and the Forest Service to identify all roads and trails affected by illegal immigration and to coordinate with DHS to prevent unlawful entry into the U.S. 

Furthermore, it would establish the Border Fuels Management Initiative to reduce wildfire risks along the southern and northern borders. The DOI, the Forest Service, and the Government Accountability Office will be tasked with reporting on safety issues and the loss of access to federal land due to illegal immigration.

Finally, the bill would prohibit using federal funds to house illegal immigrants on federal land.

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As of Wednesday afternoon, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) are cosponsoring the bill. 

Lee has prioritized federal public lands policy in recent months. During the negotiations for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Lee attempted to include a measure that would sell certain federal land to address the nationwide housing crisis. The measure proved highly controversial among conservative conservationists and was dropped from the bill.