Amid calls for tighter security at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Joe Biden (D) went back on a campaign promise and announced that his administration would allow an allowance of border wall construction in South Texas. The administration waived 26 federal laws, in order to approve the measure.
In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized why the administration felt the need to input the new border wall.
“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas,” said Mayorkas.
The project doesn’t come without its various criticisms and potential drawbacks. Many critics have discussed the possible environmental impacts the wall could have.
“A plan to build a wall through will bulldoze an impermeable barrier straight through the heart of that habitat. It will stop wildlife migrations dead in their tracks. It will destroy a huge amount of wildlife refuge land. And it’s a horrific step backwards for the borderlands,” said Laiken Jordahl, a southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity.
The border wall comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has repeatedly called for more security. Moreover, the governor has used controversial tactics such as buoys in the Rio Grande and busing thousands of migrants.
“Texas has bused over 50,000 migrants to sanctuary cities to provide relief to overwhelmed border towns. These cities experience a fraction of what Texas border communities face daily. Busing will continue until Biden secures the border,” said Gov. Abbott.
In other news, Congress has officially voted to remove California Representative Kevin McCarthy (R) from his position as Speaker of the House after Florida Representative Matt Gaetz (R) filed a motion against him.
The position was declared vacant after Congress reached a 216-210 vote. Many House Republicans voted to keep Rep. McCarthy but the combination of the group of often-dissenting Republicans known as the “Freedom Caucus” and House Democrats was too much to overcome for those in favor of McCarthy.
