Environmental groups sued the Trump administration Wednesday over the use of environmental waivers to accelerate border wall construction, saying the move lacks constitutional authority and would cause permanent damage to endangered species’ habitat.
The planned 27 miles of new border wall would slice through the San Rafael Valley in Arizona, an ecological hot spot and habitat for jaguars that migrate from Mexico, as well as other animals. The lawsuit — filed in the U.S. District Court in Tucson against the Department of Homeland Security, its Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Customs and Border Protection — says the administration is bypassing environmental laws in favor of fast-tracking the wall’s construction.
“The Trump administration is unconstitutionally running roughshod over our bedrock environmental protections to build his cruel, senseless border wall,” Jean Su, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity representing the case, said in a news release. “Trump’s dangerous obsession with walls and militarization will slash a permanent scar across one of the most biodiverse regions on the continent.”
In June, Noem issued environmental waivers allowing the DHS to bypass the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act.
