Donald Trump Mexico Wall News: Homeland Security Will Waive Laws to Build Border
The Department of Homeland Security will waive laws and regulations to push through the building of President Donald J. Trump's border wall between Mexico and the United States. Meanwhile, Trump's Mexico wall could impose environmental threats without any form of review.
U.S. Homeland Security announced last Tuesday that they will "waive certain laws, regulations, and other legal requirements" to proceed with the construction of the international border between Mexico and San Diego.
The waiver, which will be published in the Federal Register, was granted to the Secretary of Homeland Security by Congress. It will set aside several environmental, natural resource, and land management laws.
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The Mexico wall — which was a highlight in Trump's presidential campaign last year — will run 15 miles from east of the Pacific Ocean. This serves to prevent illegal immigrants from passing through from Mexico to the United States, Reuters confirmed.
However, Democrats and Republicans, as well as several immigration advocacy groups, have questioned the effectiveness of the planned wall. But Homeland Security said that there has been a high volume of illegal entries in that border and building the wall is an urgent matter.
Trump's administration has also refused to disclose the cost of the Mexico wall. There are speculations that building the wall will cost $21 billion. President Trump assured his citizens that the cost will be paid by Mexico. However, Mexico has not agreed to shoulder the cost.
Meanwhile, building the Mexico wall without environmental impact studies — which was a federal law waived by Homeland Security — could impose threats to the environment of the United States.
Even though environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act, National Trails System Act and Clean Air Act have been waived, Homeland Security has promised to "implement sound environmental practices," NBC reported.
After the Mexico wall, Trump proposed in his 2018 budget to build a 32-mile wall in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, which will affect the 2,000-acre Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. This has alarmed environmental activists, because the refuge houses 400 bird species and a decreasing population of ocelots.
