April 13, 2017

Environmentalists, Rep. Grijalva Sue Over Border Wall

They want an environmental study before construction begins.

Border wall patrol mountains immigration hero The U.S.-Mexican border in Arizona.
Nancy Montoya, AZPM

The first federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall was filed Wednesday.

The suit - filed by the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity and Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona - calls for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to put together an environmental impact statement before wall construction begins.

“And then talk about decisions and how you mitigate the worst,” said Grijalva. “But at this point this is an effort to hopefully get an injunction and halt any progress, any building until the appropriate studies and processes and public input has been allowed to happen.”

Homeland Security told the Associated Press they would not comment on the suit.

Wildlife advocates have said the wall will hurt rare animals, including jaguars and ocelots, that cross the international border in Arizona.

The call for the border wall proposal came as the federal government announced that illegal border crossings are at historic lows.

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