TEXAS — Two groups and a professional river and outdoor recreation guide in West Texas are suing the Trump administration for allegedly bypassing environmental laws in order to build a border barrier on the Texas-Mexico border in the Big Bend region.
The 38-page lawsuit, filed in federal court in El Paso on Thursday, alleges that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unconstitutionally repealed environmental protections and wavied several federal laws in order to build a border wall that “will destroy iconic sections of the Rio Grande corridor.”
The lawsuit was filed by the Friends of the Ruidosa Church, Danny William Miller, Jr. and the Center for Biological Diversity.
The group claims that the Trump administration needs approval from Congress to proceed with any plans to construct border barriers.
Back in February, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem waived over two dozen federal laws in order to build additional border barriers in the Big Bend area.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration appeared to back down from original plans to build a physical barrier in Big Bend National Park. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website has an interactive map of its plans for a “Smart Wall,” and now in the Big Bend Region, it shows plans for “detection technology” rather than a physical wall. The region includes both the national and state park.
Texans on both sides of the political spectrum have expressed opposition to building a wall in Big Bend.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has been a vocal critic of any plans for immigration enforcement in the region.
“We don’t trust bureaucrats. …They keep talking about changing the plan and it’s not going to really be a wall, and it’s not going to disturb this or that. We just want them to leave the whole damn thing alone,” Doggett said during a protest on the Texas Capitol grounds on April 4.