Thompson, Vela Statement on DHS Waivers to Disregard Environmental Laws Along Border

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX), Ranking Member of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, released the following statement on news that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is issuing multiple waivers to disregard certain environmental laws to rush construction of border wall along the Rio Grande Valley:

“The Administration is bucking its responsibility to communities in the Rio Grande Valley with its reckless determination to plow through its border wall construction.  The Administration has a responsibility to follow the law, not wantonly ignore it by outright exempting itself in order to rush the President’s campaign promises.  Ignoring environmental laws and rushing construction without solid reasoning and without meaningfully consulting the communities affected will have very real consequences.  Local communities will feel the impact of these decisions for years to come.”

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