Whether or not Trump gets his border wall is questionable. Whether or not his presidency survives is also becoming questionable. What is not questionable, however, is the madness of the border wall and the immense environmental damage that has already been inflicted by existing barriers.
Approximately 700 miles of border wall and fencing already exists along the 2,000 mile US-Mexico border that spans Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Much of this barrier, in its various forms, was completed after George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act in 2005. Construction of an additional 1,000 miles of wall could cost $38.0 billion according to MIT Technology Review — $38.0 billion or more that could be better spent on repairing and improving the nation’s crumbling infrastructure; or on healthcare, education, social security, or numerous other critical needs. Many billions of dollars have already been spent on construction, maintenance, surveillance and security — to little effect as determined migrants continue to find ways over, under, around or through the barriers.
In 2008, Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, exercised authority created by Congress under the Real ID Act, to waive all environmental statutes applying to the construction of the border walls. Taking advantage of execrable parts of this Act, Chertoff was able to bypass 37 federal laws. The resulting barriers have had a devastating effect on wildlife and the natural environment.
The wall traverses wildlife refuges and wildernesses, national forests and monuments, wetlands and estuaries — areas that are some of the most biologically diverse in North America — including the fragile Sonoran Desert ecosystem, and the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas which holds one of country’s the last remaining tracts of sabal palm forest.
Wildlife must have the ability to cross these border areas to reach food and water, cover, and both nesting and reproduction sites. They must also be able follow ancient and historic climate migration routes that traverse these lands. As habitats become fragmented, biological diversity is lost and entire population networks are destabilized and die. According to a new study by the Center for Biological Diversity, the “border wall threatens 93 endangered species, including jaguars, ocelots, Mexican grey wolves and cactus ferruginous pygmy owls.” Further, “The wall would degrade and destroy critical habitat for 25 species, including a total of 2,134,792 acres that occur within 50 miles of the border. Species with critical habitat on the border include the jaguar, arroyo toad and Peninsular bighorn sheep.” Outside magazine puts the number of species threatened at 111, including our national symbol, the bald eagle.
Wildlife and their habitat are not the only areas impacted by border barriers
In 2008, during a seasonal rainstorm, a gate installed in a drainage tunnel blocked debris and formed a dam that caused flooding over six feet deep in Nogales, Mexico — flooding that resulted in lost lives and millions of dollars in damage. Further flooding from that same storm occurred in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, as border fencing trapped debris and consequent flooding led to extensive soil erosion and damage to vegetation. One can only imagine the cataclysmic floods that would be associated with a concrete wall fifty feet high that stretches two thousand miles.
Not to be ignored in the building of Trump’s “big, fat beautiful wall,” is the climate impact of constructing the colossal concrete structure that Trump envisions, as cement production produces 5% of the world’s CO₂ emissions. Such a monstrosity, would use an estimated 12.7 million cubic yards of concrete alone. Further, there are the other repercussions of constructing such a pharaonic structure: support buildings, access roads and traffic, and the associated devastation to vegetation and wildlife caused by equipment, vehicles and workers compacting the earth and ravaging flora and fauna within hundreds of yards on either side of the wall. Even if such a project were completed, the ongoing cost, both environmental and financial, would continue with the militarization of the border; and the accompanying traffic and lighting would create a ceaseless disturbance to any surviving wildlife.
Humans too, are experiencing the devastating effects of existing barriers, and the proposed border wall would impact people further. Land would be seized under eminent domain and many ranchers would find areas of their property isolated on the Mexican side of the wall. As the barriers are extended, migrants and animals are forced farther and farther into inhospitable areas and many die. Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in November, 2016, “We can spend billions of dollars to build a 10-foot wall on top of a 10,000-foot mountain but if you’ve come all the way from Central America, it’s not going to stop you.” Immigrants continue to find ways across the border and, as The New York Times noted recently, Mexican drug smugglers have Trump to thank as they expand the scope of their smuggling operations to people.
While most would not debate the necessity of secure borders, the contribution of immigrants to this country cannot be disregarded. Illegal immigrants make a very significant contribution to the U.S. economy and are vital to industries like agriculture. In 2007, the Congressional Budget Office noted, “Over the past two decades, most efforts to estimate the fiscal impact of immigration in the United States have concluded that, in aggregate and over the long term, tax revenues of all types generated by immigrants—both legal and unauthorized—exceed the cost of the services they use.” In a 2013 article in The New York Times, the author wrote that according to “Stephen Goss, chief actuary for the Social Security Administration … undocumented workers contribute about $15 billion a year to Social Security through payroll taxes. They only take out $1 billion (very few undocumented workers are eligible to receive benefits). Over the years, undocumented workers have contributed up to $300 billion, or nearly 10 percent, of the $2.7 trillion Social Security Trust Fund.”
Trump’s proposed border wall is indeed madness. It is an environmental and human catastrophe that dwarfs the scale of the project itself. The environmental effects of what has already been built have proved ruinous.
The wall must be stopped at all cost and we must resist Trump’s vile and vindictive assault on the environment. In 1987, Ronald Reagan, standing before the Brandenburg Gate, said, “Mr. Gobachev, tear down this wall.” Mr. Trump and Congress, for the one hundred and eleven threatened species, for human lives, for endangered ecosystems, for the stunning beauty of the borderlands area, “Tear down this wall!” The wall is not the answer to halting illegal immigration.
... and besides, Mr. Trump, 1“Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?”
Take Action:
Call or write to your representatives and ask them to oppose border wall funding and to restore vital environmental protections.
To appreciate the incredible beauty of the borderlands area, follow these links to stunning photo essays by: The International League of Conservation Photographers and this by Audubon in conjunction with the ILCP.
“I will build a great wall—and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me—and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” — Donald Trump
“[We’re] not paying for that f***ing wall!” — Vicente Fox
1Words and music by Tom Russell, Wounded Heart of America, 2007