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More Border Walls Means More Border Deaths, ACLU Says In Report

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report detailing the dangers inherent in the proposed U.S.-Mexico wall. Other environmental groups joined with ACLU to condemn the proposed border wall, saying it is politically motivated and not based on facts. Human rights groups also lent their voices, calling on Congress to decline funding for an expanded border wall later this month.

The groups said “emotional appeals and symbolic gestures” have dominated policy-making on border wall decisions and “as a result, the U.S. has turned away from addressing the complex causes of immigration and smuggling, and a careful consideration of the most effective ways to respond to these issues.”

In the report, ACLU stated the existing 654 miles of border wall impacts negatively on communities living along the border. The report also cited the wall is a disaster to the surrounding environment and impedes migration of endangered species, and that an expansion of this wall will be an environmental curse instead of a blessing.

ACLU Accuses DHS of Lying To Justify Construction of Walls

The ACLU report focused on border infrastructure built after the Real ID Act of 2005, which gave the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to suspend laws that would impede the construction of border walls. As a result, dozens of environmental laws were waived in the building of new border wall infrastructure.

The ACLU also accused DHS of wrongly classifying San Diego and El Centro as areas of “high illegal entry” in order to justify waiving environmental laws. Government figures from 2016 show El Centro is seventh out of nine southern border sections in regards to apprehensions and San Diego apprehensions were down to 1968 levels. A judge’s ruling allowing the government to suspend environmental laws in favor of border wall construction is pending an appeals ruling in the Ninth Circuit.

More Border Walls Means More Border Deaths for Immigrants and Natural Wildlife

Officials from the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) said the buildup of border wall construction is harmful to Tijuana, a Mexican community along the border. Pedro Rios of SBCC revealed numerous trees were felled, while homes and shrines and ancestral facilities risk demolition once construction begins for the border wall. The Tijuana Estuary habitat may also be impacted.

In a study by the Center for Biological Diversity, a southwest conservation advocate, Randy Serraglio, said 93 threatened and endangered species would suffer if the government goes ahead with the border wall across the southwest. ACLU noted that existing walls have destroyed several habitats and disrupted the migration activities of endangered species such as the jaguar, Sonoran pronghorn, Mexican wolf, and ocelot in several places.

Existing walls have also obstructed the flow of water, acting as dams to the detriment of wildlife and natural water flows.

A contiguous wall “would result in an unprecedented, continent-wide splitting of transborder habitat and wildlife corridors, with enormous long-term deleterious consequences for the rich biological diversity of North America,” according to the report.

Just last July, 3,000 scientists backed a scientific paper saying an expanded border wall along the U.S. – Mexico border would threaten more than 1,500 animals who called the diverse area home.

“Any substantial construction ordinarily forces populations to extinction directly by outright destruction of their habitat or by reducing population size or restricting access to critical areas required seasonally. Every time you see a strip mall, airport or housing development being constructed, you can be sure biodiversity is suffering. Many hundreds of miles of border wall and the accompanying construction and maintenance infrastructure would be a crime against biodiversity,” the study author Paul Ehrlich said.

The ACLU report also says that new border walls have just forced immigrants to risk crossing more dangerous territory like desserts and resulted in more deaths from environmental exposure and dehydration. “Funneling” has not stopped or deterred immigration overall, but rather just moved the points of entry.

“More border walls means more border deaths,” said ACLU Border Rights director Astrid Dominguez.

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62 Comments

  1. Karen Dodge September 15, 2018

    Not if they just STAY HOME !

    Reply
  2. Fix America First September 15, 2018

    The truth doesn’t care about your opinions
    https://youtu.be/EjBrcGeoPNA

    Reply
  3. Izzy Fawkes September 15, 2018

    And?

    Reply
  4. Shirley Hawkins September 15, 2018

    Who need Barriwire when you have trump ice police be around

    Reply
  5. Andrew Stiegemeier September 15, 2018

    Maybe at first .. Reality.. That or destroy the population and economic stability of the country.
    Seems drug lords are ruling the world these days.

    Reply
    1. Brian Elder September 16, 2018

      That’s why the demorats want open borders, they’re right in the middle of it all.

  6. Carol Rhoades Melby September 15, 2018

    Perhaps they need to STAY OUT

    Reply
  7. Dan Fryling September 15, 2018

    Oh please, stop with the drama.

    Reply
  8. Betz Wolfe September 16, 2018

    And more deaths of USA citizens.

    Reply
  9. Tom Clayton September 16, 2018

    DONT BREAK US LAWS

    Reply
  10. Ginny Celano September 16, 2018

    Build the wall

    Reply
  11. Jerry Schroader September 17, 2018

    Any thing supported by ACLU cant be good for America

    Reply
  12. Bryon Boswell September 17, 2018

    Charge their country of origin for their care.
    Then the UN can step up and rid their countries of those who are forcing them to become economic refugees.

    Reply
  13. Betty Major September 21, 2018

    Why not unite instead of hate and division

    Reply
  14. Gail Ladella September 21, 2018

    BS

    Reply
  15. Richard Whiteman September 21, 2018

    Maybe they will smarten up and stop coming illegaly.

    Reply
  16. Shirley Phillips Booth September 21, 2018

    Anyone coming across that border should die for braking and entering.

    Reply
  17. Andrew Stiegemeier September 21, 2018

    Dying now in the deserts with no walls..
    Build the walls strategically to funnel illegals into places patrolled by border patrol..

    Reply
  18. Von De Santo September 21, 2018

    Hey isn’t the ACLU a s*** hole that pretends to care about civil liberties and is terribly incompetent at defending them.

    Reply
  19. Von De Santo September 21, 2018

    That’s what happens when colleges tell you they like you while you get chumped on a s*** education

    Reply
  20. Josh Schwien September 21, 2018

    I really don’t care if it was true. If you weren’t sneaking in to begin with you wouldn’t have to worry. If you really cared about Mexican immigrants and not just ppl who will vote for your team you’d actually care about the Mexican immigrants doing it the right way when these fuckers just jump to the front of the line by sneaking over. I also think states that harbor them should have all their reps prosecuted all the way down to the city level and no more federal aid until you comply with the guidelines set forth

    Reply
  21. Tom Clayton September 21, 2018

    What is A in ACLU duh trying fighting for AMERICAN LIBERTIES

    Reply
  22. Von De Santo November 22, 2018

    The aclu…..

    This whole they’re the victim of their own crimes shame on you rational when there’s little to show for progress in The Latino community in a so-called modern time…..

    Reply
  23. Tom Jebb November 22, 2018

    If it causes more people to BREAK THE LAW, then yes, it may result in more deaths. Other than that , it’s …

    Reply
  24. James Griffin November 22, 2018

    Not true

    Reply
  25. James Griffin November 22, 2018

    Completely and build wall on all our borders

    Reply
  26. John Littrell November 22, 2018

    Lies the liberals tell themselves to try to keep themselves in power!! The lying fake news media controls the people, don’t let the media control you!! Facepoop controls the conservative voices for their liberal masters!!!

    Reply
  27. Teresa Willis November 22, 2018

    Maybe they shouldn’t try crashing our borders. ?

    Reply
  28. Louis Scott November 22, 2018

    Oh well. Maybe don’t walk up here in the desert.

    Reply
  29. Duncan Campbell November 22, 2018

    Stay home!

    Reply
  30. Will Feil November 22, 2018

    BS BS BS BS

    Reply
  31. Philip Edwards November 22, 2018

    BS, leftist trying to protect future votes.

    Reply
  32. Bill Wilson November 22, 2018

    Yeah, like the ACLU is really worried about the animals. What a joke. Thing about nature is that it ends up finding its own way. The title is even misleading. Makes it sound like they mean humans not wildlife.

    Reply
  33. Paul L. Bicknell November 22, 2018

    ACLU screw you!

    Reply
    1. Hector Roldan November 22, 2018

      Paul L. Bicknell no fuck you.

    2. Paul L. Bicknell November 22, 2018

      Hector Roldan classy response twat!

  34. James Osborne November 22, 2018

    lmfao these comments are psychotic! no faith in humanity anymore!!!

    Reply
  35. William Clausman November 22, 2018

    Then don’t climb the wall simple as that blame the climbers not the.buliders

    Reply
  36. Darlene Steinpreis November 22, 2018

    BOLL CRAP IM SICK OF THESE PEOPLE TRYING TO SPREAT THESE LIES

    Reply
  37. Jim Paulson November 22, 2018

    So be it, America needs safety and security.

    Reply
  38. Otheletta Hogue November 22, 2018

    I live in southeast TX. Nobody here wants a stupid wall but Trump’s ignorant racist, scared cult.

    Reply
  39. Otheletta Hogue November 22, 2018

    Further screwing up the natural habitat. Trump keeps telling his cult that the wall is being built. This is a bald face lie. It will never be approved.

    Reply
  40. Lance Willis November 22, 2018

    AND, …………

    Reply
  41. Gail Dupre November 22, 2018

    That should send them back.

    Reply
  42. Dorothy McKown November 22, 2018

    NO wall!! We don’t want it!! We don’t need it!! We cant afford it!! Our roads and bridges need to be repaired or rebuilt insread

    Reply
  43. Frank Cromis November 22, 2018

    Not if they stay home!

    Reply
  44. Margaret Benson Alsobrook November 22, 2018

    Perhaps they should stay in Mexico

    Reply
  45. Johna Latham November 22, 2018

    Not if people don’t try to cross the border ILLEGALLY.

    Reply
  46. Tom Alcorn November 22, 2018

    turn around go back!

    Reply
  47. Andrew Stiegemeier November 22, 2018

    Maybe for awhile.

    Reply
  48. Joseph Garcia November 22, 2018

    The ACLU is full of Crap ! Nobody invited these Ppl to come across the border ! And if there’s deaths the illegals are causing them ! Who the hell do u think u r ? Not everybody u speak to is Dumn Like u think ! There’s some of us who know when the wool is being pulled over our eyes ! Go and talk to the Sheep in the Democrat Party , your game has been played to often to think u can get over on us ! U use to make a difference but now all u do is make noise !

    Reply
  49. Barbara Dean November 22, 2018

    Oh well Maybe don’t walk up here in desert

    Reply
  50. Tom Clayton November 22, 2018

    Put the american first back in ACLU

    Reply
  51. Karen Dodge November 23, 2018

    AND NO BORDER WALL , MEANS MORE AMERICAN DEATHS ! You don’t like it , GO JUMP SOMEONE ELESE’S WALL !

    Reply
  52. Irma Seabury November 23, 2018

    And less death to American citizens – built the wall!

    Reply
  53. Wendy Oldham November 23, 2018

    Such a lot of ugly, nasty people on this thread. Apparently a lot of people are just fine with the death penalty for people who are desperate for a better life. Disgusting – and. I doubt many call themselves Christians.

    Reply
    1. Gary J. Weber November 23, 2018

      Wendy Oldham Tell that to MS13 when they kill your family. Not Christians? Blessed are the peacemakers.

  54. Shirley Hawkins November 23, 2018

    Trump just. A haters and he wants Americans to gate. God don’t like his evil ways. So we need to get our country back on track. Let his train trashs

    Reply
  55. Yvonne Palmer November 23, 2018

    Make America kind again

    Reply
  56. Martin D Regis November 23, 2018

    Sad But Better then More Deaths on our Streets.

    Reply
  57. Juan Platen November 23, 2018

    If built, that wall will ultimately be used to keep Zamericans in

    Reply
  58. Gary J. Weber November 23, 2018

    Fake news from pussy central.

    Reply

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