"Most Dangerous National Park" , on US/MX border..

19.02.2017

only 8 miles, from Mexico. Glad the park re-opened in 2014. Very beautiful and remote even though it was very scary also and had many warnings about smuggling and illegal immigration.. And they have 500 Border Patrol agents?!

After 11 years, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument reopens (2014) Increased border security means that all 517 square miles are again open to the public.The “most dangerous national park” has been largely closed to the public for the last 11 years. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, on the southern Arizona border, once saw a steady flow of immigrants – and drug runners – from Mexico. On Aug. 9, 2002, ranger Kris Eggle was shot and killed while chasing a cartel hit squad, prompting park officials to close nearly 70 percent of the monument in 2003. Some small areas were later reopened.But on Sept. 15, all of Organ Pipe’s 517 square miles were once again opened to hikers, birders and desert lovers. Park officials believe that increased border security and patrols have made the park safe for visitors to get off the beaten path.”In the wake of 9/11, the new Department of Homeland Security was authorized to construct barriers along the border without having to comply with federal, state or local environmental laws. The Border Patrol also hired thousands of new agents.Organ Pipe now has 20 law enforcement officers, compared to 5 in 2003, and the number of Border Patrol agents in the region has jumped 20-fold, to over 500.

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