U.s. Moves Forward With Massive Waiver Of Environmental And Other Laws On Border Fence

"This is no April fool's joke, unfortunately it's real. The DHS decision to abandon U.S. laws to construct a border fence will jeopardize the economy, quality of life and beauty of south Texas. They are insisting that we close our eyes and minds to the risks to unique wildlife and ecosystems, as well as the communities that depend on them.

"The administration is effectively putting America on notice that it will ignore even the gravest concerns about the border wall. The DHS waiver is breathtaking in its scope. It waives nearly all legal requirements that would apply to anyone else. This decision will cost America dearly, especially when the benefits of the misguided border fence remain uncertain.

"The administration and Congress need to abandon this unprecedented and extreme course before it is too late."

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Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was bypassing environmental and land-management laws to build hundreds of miles of border fence between the United States and Mexico.

Conservation groups have said the current design amounts to an impenetrable concrete wall that would prevent wildlife from migrating and fragment habitat. Among the 30-some laws being waived are the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.