Oct 5, 2023
The America the Beautiful For All Coalition today condemned the Biden Administration announcement that 26 federal laws would be waived to speed construction of a barrier through border communities and a wildlife refuge in the Rio Grande Valley.
The nation’s bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act, exist to protect our shared resources and ensure people have the right to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live in a healthy community. Bypassing these laws to speed construction of a border wall President Biden once called “a waste of money” is a flawed decision that disproportionately impacts communities of color and will cause irreparable harm to sacred tribal sites and wildlife habitat. Historically disadvantaged communities and landowners along the border bear the brunt of this political posturing as the only places where waiver authority has been used to bypass decades of protective laws passed by Congress.
Below are statements from Coalition Co-chairs and Workgroup Co-leads:
Mark Magaña, Founding Co-chair, America the Beautiful for All Coalition; Founding President & CEO, GreenLatinos:
“Today, our community is left reeling over the unconscionable decision from President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the DHS executive team. We’re appalled that our comunidad and madre tierra were cast aside to continue constructing the Trump border wall.
We stood firm when the Trump Administration first proposed to construct additional, unnecessary border walls between the United States and Mexico. We defended our people, their community, and the surrounding majestic lands that exist in the southern border region. Today, with a different administration, we unexpectedly find ourselves needing to again take a stand in defense of our people and our land. We do not forget that in 2020, Joe Biden campaigned on not building another foot of Trump’s border wall.
This disastrous decision not only continues a legacy of xenophobia and racism left by the previous administration but is also a slap in the face to Latino/a/e communities who live, work, and play in the southern border region. By moving forward with this new order, this administration makes it loud and clear that they intend to propagate the continued marginalization of our people but also discard the hard work our ancestors have done as devoted stewards of the lands they call home.
Make no mistake. We will stand firm against this decision and call for an immediate reversal of this decision. We will tirelessly stand up against all those who seek to divide us with destructive border walls rather than unite us – and continue to defend our families, children, health, land, waters, and environment from further degradation.”
Angel Peña, Strategic Advisor, America the Beautiful for All Coalition; Executive Director, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project:
As a first-generation Mexican American, I was born and raised on the Southern Border, and am raising my own family here. I founded the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project here and have worked to protect the region’s intact Chihuahuan Desert landscapes for all to enjoy. The actions announced by the Biden Administration yesterday are an affront to Frontera residents, who have already borne the brunt of xenophobia, mass shootings, a pandemic, and the militarization of our border.
Our public lands and environment are deeply intertwined with issues of justice, race, and equity, and these actions will ensure that Fronterizos have even less opportunity to find solace, comfort, and equitable access to the outdoors right here in their own community. The bypassing of bedrock environmental laws also leaves the door open to the destruction of sacred Tribal sites, without the Tribal consultation enshrined in those laws.
As an organization born on the border, we’re keenly aware that President Biden was elected in part on promises to stop–not fast-track–construction of a useless wall that divides communities and destroys the unique desert landscapes that people and wildlife call home. Our immigration system requires real work to fix, not political stunts with destructive and long-term consequences. Border communities will once again bear the impacts, and we have had enough.”
Martin Castro, Freshwater Workgroup Co-lead, America the Beautiful for All Coalition; Watershed Science Director, Rio Grande International Study Center:
“We strongly oppose the recent decision by the Biden Administration to waive dozens of federal laws to expedite border wall construction in Starr County, Texas. While border security is essential, it should not come at the expense of our environment, communities, and principles of environmental justice. The approach by the Department of Homeland Security disproportionately affects communities of color and runs counter to our values. It’s a stark environmental justice issue as these waivers happen nowhere else in the United States, except on the border.
It is vital that we respect the cultural and environmental significance of these areas and take measures to protect them. Much of the habitat slated for border wall construction is an increasingly rare and unique type of ecosystem known as the Tamaulipan Thornscrub, a habitat found nowhere else in the United States that–once bulldozed–will take over 500 years to return to its original state.
We urge the Department of Homeland Security and the Biden administration to reconsider these actions and take into account the environmental justice implications and the potential harm to border communities. We call for a more comprehensive and compassionate approach to border security that respects the rights and well-being of all individuals and preserves the natural beauty of our shared environment.”
Tara Thornton, Wildlife Workgroup Co-lead, America the Beautiful for All Coalition; Deputy Director, Endangered Species Coalition:
“President Biden’s announcement to waive the Endangered Species Act and build a wall through a National Wildlife Refuge will specifically impact several endangered species including the critically endangered ocelot. With less than 60 ocelots remaining in the wild in the U.S., this wall will slice across vital habitat and undermine hope for ocelot recovery.”
About Us:
The America the Beautiful for All Coalition consists of nearly 200 organizations working collectively to thwart the rapidly advancing impacts of climate change; stem the loss of biodiversity; increase more equitable access to nature’s benefits; and ensure at least 40% of conservation spending occurs in communities of color and frontline communities that have historically seen little to no conservation investments. Member organizations range in focus from urban parks and green space, Indigenous rights, public lands protection, public health, wildlife, outdoor recreation and freshwater and ocean conservation — all representative of identities and issue areas that have traditionally been underrepresented in conservation decision-making in the United States.
