Late yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Department of Homeland Security spending bill for fiscal year 2019. The bill includes $5 billion for physical border barriers such as walls and fences, and associated technology including 200 miles of destructive and controversial new barrier construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. The House bill allows for construction anywhere along the border, including Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, a crucial wildlife habitat corridor.
Thousands of scientists from around the world expressed concern for the impacts more border wall construction would have on biodiversity and binational conservation efforts in a peer-reviewed article published in BioScience this week.
For additional information on border wall impacts to wildlife and wild lands, please see Defenders of Wildlife’s recently released report, “In The Shadow of The Wall.”
Mary Beth Beetham, director of legislative affairs for Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:
“Trump’s border wall is going to destroy communities, landscapes and wildlife along our border with Mexico. The House Appropriations Committee is giving a green light to the president’s misguided agenda.
“Building walls through the heart of the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge will irreversibly destroy the landscape and any economic benefit of recreation in the refuge. Funding Trump’s wall will undermine ongoing efforts for recovery in the U.S. for imperiled species like the jaguar and Mexican gray wolf.”
For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.
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