Officials are bulldozing past environmental safeguards to continue building a border wall in Arizona and New Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security issued waivers to construct the wall, bypassing environmental regulations like the National Environmental Policy Act to do so more quickly, according to a statement released June 5.
What's happening?
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signed three new waivers allowing the department to move ahead with border wall construction, which would create about 36 miles in total across various projects, including the Tucson Sonoita Project and the Yuma Sector Barry M. Goldwater Range Wall Project.
Safety for the U.S. is DHS's priority, per its website. The current presidential administration has also made it clear that it intends to enforce immigration laws, and the border wall is one way it plans to do that. However, in this case, whether or not the wall is effective in serving its purpose, DHS is trading the environmental review meant to shield wildlife and their habitats for speeding up the project.
Why are the DHS waivers concerning?
Environmental protections are in place to protect sensitive regions that human communities and animal species call home. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the already-built border wall sections harm migrating animal populations and cause flooding by disrupting natural water flow. Waiving these laws to hurry border wall construction removes critical safeguards for wildlife, water, and tribal lands.
"Throwing taxpayer money away to wall off the Santa Cruz River and San Rafael Valley would be a death sentence for jaguars, ocelots, and other wildlife in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands," said Laiken Jordahl, the Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, as quoted by Phoenix's KSAZ.
Yet it's not the first time an administration has waived environmental protections. In 2023, President Biden's administration suspended 26 environmental laws to expedite a portion of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump's administration also waived 29 environmental laws this April to fast-track border wall construction in Southern California, as reported by Earthjustice.
If this trend continues, it could cause serious harm to the animal populations that rely on these protections. When animals can't continue their natural migration patterns because of border walls, they can edge closer to extinction. Dwindling populations could increase the risk of disease spread and disrupt the native vegetation they help pollinate or control.
What's being done to protect the borderlands?
Raising awareness about the potential harm to ecosystems and wildlife from building border walls is one of the best ways to rally support and pressure leaders to reconsider these projects. Artist Lauren Strohacker did just that with a temporary art display in Arizona, projecting images of native animals onto the border wall.
Nonprofit environmental groups have also led the charge. For example, Defenders of Wildlife has been outspoken in fighting against the border wall since its start. Sky Island Alliance has also advocated to protect lands along the U.S.-Mexico border.
If you also want to make an impact, you can use your voice to stand up for communities and wildlife. Together, these efforts can protect the balance of life that makes the borderlands so unique and worth defending.
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