DHS Sued for Bypassing Environment Laws to Build ‘Big Bend’ Wall

Two nonprofits and a Texas resident are accusing US officials of refusing to comply with various environmental protection and historic preservation laws before proceeding with plans to build a border wall in the “Big Bend” sector along the Rio Grande River.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, DHS, and subagency US Customs and Border Protection invoked Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act as authority to bypass laws protecting the 250-mile area’s animals and geological, cultural, and historical sites, according to the complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. ...