In a contentious move that has ignited a storm of criticism from environmental advocates, political adversaries, and members of his own party, President Joe Biden’s administration has waived a staggering 26 federal laws to greenlight the construction of a border wall in South Texas. This marks the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power that had become synonymous with the tenure of former President Donald Trump.
The scathing rebuke came swiftly, with Democratic Texas congressman Henry Cuellar stating, “A border wall is a 14th-century solution to a 21st-century problem. It will not bolster border security in Starr County. I continue to stand against the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars on an ineffective border wall.”
Environmentalists raised alarm over the prospective wall’s impact on public lands and endangered ecosystems, including habitats of species such as the ocelot, a spotted wild cat. Laiken Jordahl, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, lamented, “A plan to build a wall will bulldoze an impermeable barrier straight through the heart of that habitat. It will stop wildlife migrations dead in their tracks. It will destroy a huge amount of wildlife refuge land. And it’s a horrific step backward for the borderlands.”
During the Trump presidency, approximately 450 miles of barriers were erected along the southwestern border. President Biden initially halted such efforts, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott revived them. Officials argued that their actions were consistent with a federal proclamation issued in January 2021, which deemed, “Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.”
However, critics were quick to point out the glaring contradiction between Biden’s campaign promise that “There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration” and the recent decision to push forward with the project.
The project, which gained federal clearance on Wednesday, has offered few details regarding construction in Starr County, Texas, a border patrol sector grappling with “high illegal entry” by undocumented migrants from Central and South America. Government data has recorded approximately 245,000 such entries this fiscal year in the Rio Grande Valley sector.
The controversial waivers that allowed for this construction included exemptions from the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Endangered Species Act, thus avoiding potential legal challenges stemming from environmental concerns.
Starr County, situated between Zapata, Mexico, and McAllen, Texas, houses around 65,000 residents across 1,200 square miles, making it part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
The project’s commencement in June and subsequent solicitation of public input in August revealed plans for constructing up to 20 miles of new border barriers, starting south of the Falcon Dam and extending beyond Salineño, Texas. Starr County Judge Eloy Vera expressed apprehension about the region’s high erosion levels, compounded by creeks weaving through ranchland, stating, “There’s a lot of arroyos.”
Critics of the move are concerned about the potential environmental consequences and its political implications, with polling indicating that former President Trump leads President Biden in terms of perceived competence on border security. The decision has set off a contentious debate on how to address immigration and border security in the United States.
