The Trump administration is asking Congress for nearly $18 billion to build more than 700 miles of border wall along the southwest, news reports unveiled last week. Reportedly, the Trump administration envisions the project unfolding in the next decade and would cover nearly half of the 2,000-mile southwest border with some sort of fencing or wall.
Every iteration of Trump’s border wall plan becomes more expensive to cover less ground as months go by. However, its implications and potential impacts are as serious as always. Make no mistake, this project is a waste of taxpayer money and neglects the real needs of border communities, an underserved region that needs funding for schools and work training programs, not walls.
Moreover, the border wall will impose heavy damage on the local ecology. In a time of steep budget cuts, financing a harmful wall is simply senseless. We urge Republican lawmakers to brush aside scaremongering and address sensible problems with sensible solutions.
Raul García is Legislative Counsel for Earthjustice.
Read More Commentary: www.elsemanario.us
- People’s Futures Are Not Bargaining Chips - January 31, 2018
- Border Wall is a Reckless Waste of Taxpayer Money - January 11, 2018
- We’re Missing 90 Percent of the Story - December 2, 2016
