Biden is being slammed by series of lawsuits during his first 100 days in office. This includes lawsuits against the Biden administration for failing to examine the environmental effects of immigration policies that they implemented.
"It’s important that we have officials that understand that it’s not enough to say we have a crisis, we have to do something about it." – AZ Attorney @GeneralBrnovich on suing the Biden administration over border policies https://t.co/EeXJLDgD9Z
— Evie Fordham (@eviefordham) April 28, 2021
Earlier in April, Brnovich turns the National Environmental Policy Act against the Democratic administration. In general, NEPA requires federal agencies to weigh the potential environmental consequences of policies before their implementation.
In an interview with Fox News, Brnovich stated, “It is the pinnacle of hypocrisy for the Biden administration to claim it supports protecting our environment while simultaneously ignoring laws established for that very purpose,” adding that each migrant who crosses the border leaves behind six to eight pounds of trash.
He added, “The left for years has used NEPA to stop development and highways and all sorts of projects while they wait for an environmental impact study.”
The lawsuit is asking the U.S. District Court in Arizona to call off White House’s decision to halt both construction of the border wall as well as revive the “Remain in Mexico” policy that was implemented under Trump adminsitration until it is decided whether doing so would have any negative environmental consequences.
CBP encountered more 172,000 migrants in March alone.
This April, we’ve had more illegal crossings than the past three years combined.
Democrats can’t keep denying that President Biden’s policies have created a crisis at our Southern border. pic.twitter.com/OisliXbjvQ
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) April 29, 2021
GOP lawmakers in WAshington, D.C., have also called attention to the “environmental impacts of illegal border crossings.” Including among these lawmakers are House Committee on Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., who requested information from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the topic in March.
The Republican lawmakers wrote a letter stating, “Both of us have personally witnessed scattered trash and damage to our lands during official tours of the southern border. Deserts are used as dumping sites and vegetation is destroyed. For example, between 2007 and 2018, 460,000 pounds of trash discarded by illegal migrants were collected along the 370 miles of the Arizona-Mexico border.”
Inquiries to other environmental groups were not returned and there were no comments made with regard to this matter.
Meanwhile, Kelly Burke of the Arizona Wilderness Coalition made statements saying, “Our organization does not support this action by the AG.” Burke added, “The real issue with damage in the Arizona borderlands is that the Trump administration wantonly waived NEPA to construct hundreds of miles of habitat-destroying, groundwater depleting and useless border wall, including through protected areas established by Congress, through wildlife preserves, across rivers and wildlife corridors, as well as through the lands surrounding our iconic Arizona Trail.”
“Our position is to remove the border wall, reclaim and restore the habitats, rivers, wildlife corridors, and tribal lands that were in many cases literally blown apart, and to support equitable, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform,” Burke said.
Sandy Bahr, a spokeswoman for the Grand Canyon chapter of the Sierra Club also made similar remarks saying, “This is a cynical lawsuit by the attorney general. Attorney General Brnovich did nothing while the Trump administration waived laws along the border, including environmental laws to erect the hateful, harmful, ineffective, and expensive border walls.”
On the other hand, Brnovich added that he will use all “the tools in my toolbox” to combat Biden’s border policies that affect his state and the nation.
He added, “This isn’t just an Arizona problem. When you have an estimated two million people crossing, that is like the entire state of Nebraska. Lots of elected officials … talk the talk but they never walk the walk. I think it’s important that we have officials that understand that it’s not enough to say we have a crisis, we have to do something about it.”
