Biden Admin to Fund Environmental Protection in Trump Border Wall Dispute
The Biden Administration Settles Lawsuits Over Border Wall Construction
The Biden administration has reached a settlement in lawsuits related to former President Donald Trump’s construction of the border wall. In an effort to compensate for the alleged harm to nature caused by these construction activities, the administration has agreed to fund environmental protection measures.
A coalition of 18 states, led by California, filed lawsuits against the Trump administration in 2019 and 2020. They claimed that taxpayer funds authorized for other purposes were illegally diverted to build a wall at the U.S. border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The Sierra Club and Southern Borders Communities Coalition, two nonprofit organizations, also filed complaints. These lawsuits followed a national emergency declaration by Mr. Trump in 2019, which was used as justification to redirect billions of dollars towards wall construction.
On July 17, the Biden administration agreed to a settlement on the four federal lawsuits. As part of the settlement, they have promised to halt the construction of barriers at the border using diverted funds and take steps to remediate the alleged environmental harm caused by the previous administration’s border wall construction.
Environmental Protection and Military Construction Projects
Under the settlement, the administration will allocate funds for environmental protection and military construction projects.
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- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will provide $1.1 million to programs that monitor endangered species like the peninsular bighorn, Mexican gray wolf, jaguar, and ocelot. They will also install wildlife passages in the border barrier system to facilitate the movement of animals.
- DHS will offer $25 million to California, which can be used to either aid an environmental nonprofit’s purchase of 1,200 acres of environmentally sensitive land near the U.S.-Mexico border or fund environmental mitigation projects.
- Over $427 million in funding will be provided for military construction projects in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The Lawsuits and Settlement
In 2019, when the lawsuits were initially filed against Mr. Trump’s diversion of funds for wall construction, the district and appellate courts ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. However, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed construction activities to continue while the litigation was ongoing.
In 2021, President Biden ended Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration at the border on his first day in office, stating that the construction of a wall spanning the entire southern border was “a waste of money.”
Following the end of the emergency declaration, the U.S. Supreme Court sent the lawsuits back to a federal court in California. Subsequently, the plaintiffs negotiated with the Biden administration, leading to the settlement.
“The Trump Border Wall is officially a relic of the past, which is where it belongs,” said Attorney General Bonta, according to a July 17 press release. “Today’s settlement ushers in a new beginning. I am grateful to the Biden Administration for working with us in good faith and making this announcement possible.”
Border Wall and Deterring Illegal Immigrants
During the four-year Trump presidency, approximately 458 miles of new primary and secondary border walls were constructed as of January 2021, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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