Contractor blasting through Arizona National Monument to build Trump border | TheHill - The Hill

Contractor blasting through Arizona National Monument to build Trump border | TheHill - The Hill

A contractor building a segment of the border wall in southwest Arizona is blasting through segments of a site local Native Americans consider sacred, according to a report from USA Today.

The site, Monument Hill at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, is located on The Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot wide patch of federally-owned land on the U.S.-Mexico border. The move follows a trend seen in the administration’s border wall execution, showing priority for building on federally-owned land, which doesn’t require litigation to obtain.

Beginning in August, contractors began clearing the land, which involves removing several saguaro cacti; in Arizona it is illegal to remove a cactus without a permit. 

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Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who represents the area, spoke against the construction when contractors began to break ground in January.

Grijalva, chair of the House Natural Resource Committee, sent a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad WolfChad WolfNY to sue Trump administration over decision banning residents from 'trusted traveler' program Hillicon Valley: Feud between Bezos, Trump adviser escalates | Senate report says Obama officials 'not well-postured' for Russian hacking | Huawei sues Verizon | Key Republicans criticize Iowa app maker Shadow Trump official threatens to expand Global Entry suspension beyond New York MORE expressing his concern for the project. 

Wolf announced last month that the administration had completed 100 miles of new border barriers under President TrumpDonald John TrumpFive takeaways: Fear of Trump hangs over Democratic debate Klobuchar raises million since start of debate Buttigieg, Sanders aim to build momentum from New Hampshire debate MORE. The administration has sought to build 450 miles of new border barriers by the end of 2020.

Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S. border in February 2019, allowing him to divert $7.2 billion in military funds to go toward border wall construction. House Democrats recently raised alarms about the administration seeking to redirect another $7.2 billion in military funding to the border wall.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

2020-02-08 18:24:27Z
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/482174-contractor-blasting-through-arizona-national-monument-to-build-trump

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