The following statement is from Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, on President Trump's announcement of his upcoming trip to the border:
“President Trump claims he is traveling to the border to meet with ‘those on the front lines of the national security and humanitarian crisis.’ I urge him to meet with the real victims of his phony crisis – the human communities that will be divided and the natural areas, like the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, that will be destroyed by his unnecessary and reckless border wall; the wildlife, like jaguars and ocelots, that will be severed from their habitat along the border; the families of federal employees thrown out of work by his shutdown of the federal government; and the refugees whose applications for asylum are delayed by the shutdown of the immigration courts. The wall is a terrible idea that tears at the fabric of our American values and endangers our natural heritage, and the victims of the President’s obsession will be all around him at the border.”
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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