Proposed border wall funding threatens wildlife, communities

SANTA FE (May 23, 2017) – The Trump administration released its FY 2018 budget proposal today, which includes funding for an expansion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Bryan Bird, Southwest program director for Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement:

“Funding the expansion of the southern border wall is a non-starter. It’s a misuse of funding that should instead be used for programs that keep our air and water clean and protect our wildlife and wild places. President Trump’s dirty budget is a sellout of our nation’s natural heritage.

“An impenetrable wall would divide families and communities along the border and bisect and isolate important Southwestern landscapes, pushing borderland wildlife like jaguars, Mexican gray wolves and ocelots to the brink of extinction. Extinction is forever, and as nature goes, so will we.

“Congress should oppose any budget proposals that aim to construct this border wall, which would ultimately shred the fabric of our core American values – equality, justice and the preservation of our natural heritage.”