In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the wall will help secure the nation’s borders, but critics have warned that part of it will be built within the national park, forcing U.S. officials to ignore 28 federal environmental laws. The planned waivers include the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act.
Cary Dupuy, regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association, called the proposal “devastating.”
He added: “Building a border wall through Big Bend National Park would choke vital wildlife migration routes, increase flood risks and cause irreparable damage to one of our nation’s most iconic national parks.
“We must look for border solutions that are as unique as our landscapes and communities. And we must ensure that the solutions we find do not destroy the national treasures we have pledged to protect.”
Local archaeologist David Keller also criticized the “military industrialization of one of the last great wild places in the United States.”
He told it Indoor climate news: “One of our most beloved national parks and the largest park in Texas will be damaged beyond repair.”
DHS said it had already awarded contracts for the construction project, which could take several years and is expected to be completed in 2028.
With an area of approximately 350,000 hectares, Big Bend is one of the largest national parks in the US. It has already faced environmental hurdles, including a hotel in the Chisos Basin that was forced to close in January due to water shortages.
Officials have not detailed how the risks of increased flooding and disruption of wildlife would be mitigated during and after construction.
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