WASHINGTON — In an aggressive move to finish 370 miles of barriers on the U.S. border with Mexico by the end of the year, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it will waive federal and state environmental laws to meet that goal.
The two waivers are the most expansive the department has issued on the southwest border. They will allow Homeland Security to slash through a thicket of more than 30 environmental and cultural laws to speed construction.
Environmentalists and border communities have strenuously opposed some of the planned infrastructure projects, saying they will damage the land and disrupt wildlife.
Who needs the Berlin Wall when you have the Brownsville Wall?
