Border Control

Maria Roth

Ever since 2016 Americans have heard the statement “Build the Wall.” After 3 years of continuously hearing the arguments from the right and left side, Trump has started his infamous plan to minimize illegal immigration through the building of a gigantic border wall. Although this may reduce immigration from Mexico, this wall holds far more of an impact than simply abiding to a political agenda: it would cause a chollasal impact on the environment on the border line.
Already there are 650 miles of boundaries between the U.S and Mexico; however, the majority of this is not on the natural habitat. Through the creation of this wall, an abrupt shift will occur. Additionally, Congress has given the agency conducting the construction the right to waver imperative laws that protect the environment and species (such as the Endangered Species Act). This allows the agency to not take the proper steps to formulate a plan that is both beneficial to them and the environment, but rather a plan that best suits them economically.
In total, more than 1,500 native animals and plant species will be directly impacted by the wall (62 of which are listed as endangered). Animals need to have the availability to move and migrate in order to survive, all of which will be further restricted by this agenda. It is common for environments that are well suited for animals with specific needs to be widely dispersed over large areas of land. Through this restriction, animals will be put in  peril and in harm’s way. According to The National Wildlife Federation, this wall is could be, “one of the biggest potential ecological disasters of our time.” Additionally, the risk to plants is parallel to that of the animals. Already there is a decile in pollinators due to human construction. This wall will cause an inaccessible boundary for pollinators, resulting in plants and cacti to not be properly pollinated. Insects would be discombobulated by the array of lights that come with the wall,  restricting them even if they have the potential to fly over it.

Regardless of my political opinion, the consequences of building the wall extends to our environment, resulting in a tremendous loss of biodiversity. What are some ways that the government could avoid these immense issues? How could we help create awareness regarding these environmental violations? What are the potential long term impacts of building the wall on the environment?

https://www.cbp.gov/about/environmental-cultural-stewardship/environmental-management-system-policy-statement
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/climate/border-wall-wildlife.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEnvironment&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=30&pgtype=collection

Comments

Anonymous said…
It would be hard to eliminate these environmental issues because the wall being built is solid and impermeable. Maybe placing some cracks near the bottom of the wall that would not affect the structure of the wall would benefit the environment, as it allows migration between the wall for smaller creatures. However, in order to allow large mammals to pass through the wall, we would need some open spaces within the wall, which basically would defeat the purpose of the wall. Social media is a great way to show others to not just think about the political aspects of the wall but also the environmental aspects. Building the wall may cause geographic isolation, which may cause new populations to have reproductive isolation. Also, this isolation could potentially mess up ecosystems, as some animals in a food web may disappear and disrupt other animals.
March 26, 2019 at 11:30 AM
Anonymous said…
Personally I don’t agree with the building of the wall because really what’s the point other then sending a symbolic message to Mexico. There’s still many other ways to get into the United States, and if someone really wants to be here then no wall can stop them. This isn’t the Berlin Wall where people are forced to stay in their area. The wall would also take a toll on the environment because it’s a lot of altering to a natural state. It would be like a sort of an unneeded dam as well. Wildlife would have to relocate because we would be destroying parts of their home. The government could avoid this overall by just not being built and to serve its purposes just having more paperwork and security. The animals are not to blame, and by building the wall they may not be able to survive due to adaptations.
March 26, 2019 at 4:11 PM
Anonymous said…
The idea of a border wall mainly gets rejected due to logistical and economic reasons, however, as you mentioned there are definitely environmental reasons while people would reject the idea of building one. A border wall would establish clear habitat fragmentation, which could block the movement of animals, and potentially disconnect them from key food sources. I just don't see a way to build an effective border wall without causing at least some environmental damage. I think people need to understand that there are other ways to strengthen up the border, that don't include building a wall. At a time where the environment is already fragile due to climate change, building a wall will only further harm it.
March 26, 2019 at 9:07 PM
Anonymous said…
I’ve always thought that the border wall had an unlikely chance of being built just because of political reasons. When Ms. Westbrook was talking about where the wall would actually be placed was the first time I realized that there are more reasons it’s a bad idea. The environment would be affected. Animals would be cut off from their whole environment. The base and structure of the wall wouldn’t be secure because of weathering.
March 27, 2019 at 7:56 AM
Anonymous said…
Truth be told, I really do not think our government cares much about the environment in the building of this wall. Sure, Democrats May argue against the wall, stating that it would degrade the environment, but that is not their main argument against Trump’s wall. The truth is that politics involves a lot of stubborn faces, and getting the Trump administration to not build the wall will not be an easy feat. The only think he is lacking is funding, and through party donors and the passing of certain bills, he could soon have the funding that he needs. As students, and through social media, we can voice our opinions and educate others about the ghastly environmental effects of building this wall, but as we saw with the victims of the Parkland high school shooting, politics are extremely complex and politicians are not exactly ready to listen and change their ideologies.
March 27, 2019 at 3:50 PM
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
March 27, 2019 at 10:24 PM
Anonymous said…
When the border wall was a topic of discussion, I had never really thought about the environmental effects it might have. The wall itself carries a large political weight that is hard for many people to look past, but it is interesting to think of the environmental side. I think that the wall lacks proper thought and planning and is a waste of money. Not only that, but as you mentioned it could potentially be detrimental to the wildlife surrounding it. The environmental effects of the wall likely make up a fraction of the discussion surrounding its construction. However, these environmental effects are actually very important and could potentially cause many long term issues.
March 27, 2019 at 10:26 PM
Anonymous said…
Most of the build the wall talk from Trump has been mostly a political ruse to remind the American people of illegal immigrants and their impacts on the economy as a whole. I agree; building the wall would cause many ecological prioblems and shouldn’t be followed through, but our “open border” logic is harmful to the economy through job security. There’s not much thought on the effects of nature and the government needs to take it into account that its cons are more swaying than its pros.
March 28, 2019 at 11:28 AM
Anonymous said…
Honestly, I think the government has not a single care in the world about the environment. Now, you expect them to care about what the wall will do beside hurt our image and their political standings. We should have more radical ideas if it passes to bring to light the effects it has on the environment. The environment is already at the worst it has ever been in history, then we go and decide this is a plausible idea. We could just find alternatives way to strengthen the border, not a cement wall that breaks the topsoil and makes a barrier for animals to cross. We need to follow the example of roads that have separate spaces for animals to cross safely and not worry about our political beliefs.
March 28, 2019 at 11:32 AM
Anonymous said…
When thinking about the border wall, I’ve only thought about the economic impacts of building the wall and not the environmental impacts. The cost of the wall is really expensive and seems extremely unessecary but on top of that, the wildlife could be killed and their environment destroyed too. This factor is overlooked and is probably more important than the economic side of things. This wall will cost an unbelievable amount of money and destroy the wildlife of the area. This wall is ‘fixing’ a non-existent problem and this needs to stop. The cost of the wall and the environmental impacts outweigh the positives of this wall.
March 28, 2019 at 11:36 AM
Anonymous said…
We can create holes in the wall to prevent habitat fragmentation, let organisms pass through so it doesn’t block their paths. We can create awareness by showing the stats of animals populations decreasing because the wall will block the smaller animals from getting through. Flooding is one of the main long term impacts of building the wall because these barriers act as dams which in result clog the land with debris. The huge impact of this wall will cause disrupting wildlife and refugees. The wall is being planned to be built through the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refugee in Alamo, Texas where more than 400 species of birds and endangered species live.
March 28, 2019 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said…
Building the wall is a controversial topic politically, but waiving laws and protection acts for it makes it harmful to the environment as well. I never considered the environmental impact of the wall before reading this post. My thought on this are: who are we to prevent animals and wildlife to roam and migrate wherever they please? We should be helping animals survive and thrive, not hindering them. Destroying their habitat, blocking their migration paths, and pollution their home are just some ways that the wall will destroy and kill hundreds of species and animals, especially endangered ones. Considering the social, environmental, and economic consequences of the wall, it will do might more harm than good if built.
March 30, 2019 at 7:13 PM
Anonymous said…
While the wall sparks a big political argument, attention needs to be given to the environmental consequences that will arise from the construction of the wall. It seems like everyone has been so focused on the political side of this issue that they are not considering what will happen to the wildlife if it ends up being constructed. The wall may end up being built, but there needs to be many precautions taken to protect the environment at all costs. As other people have suggested, the wall should have openings where wildlife can easily pass through it so that they are disrupted as little as possible. The wall brings with it numerous other issues that need to be considered, maybe making it where a barrier should not be constructed at all.
March 30, 2019 at 9:27 PM
Anonymous said…
The wall is flat out stupid. As stated above by some of my classmates, it will be ineffective for even its original purpose. It will not stop illegal immigrants from crossing over. All it will truly do is cause damage to the environmental status along our border and cost the taxpayers so much money. The trump administration does not care if what they are doing will hurt the environment, they already don’t believe in climate change, Norse do they seem to have any say in environmental laws or regulations. The only real way I think we can do anything is by going out and showing protesters. Get Petition signed and calling our servers because in the end they’re not listening to people anyway they just see those who are against the wall as crazy liberals don’t see you it’s a value and maybe they’re right I don’t see any upside to having the wall built it hurts the people it hurts the nation it hurts Mexico it hurts the environment it’s stupid
March 31, 2019 at 10:25 AM
Amogh Gokhale said…
I think the environmental issues are often overlooked, and not taken into question in the political debate. Even I had little idea as to how much of the environment will be damaged be damaged by the building of the wall. Even worse, allowing the building to overpower many environmental policies, such as the ones listed in the original post, will lead to a much greater impact on the environment than regular constriction could have.
March 31, 2019 at 10:57 AM
Anonymous said…
The wall Trump wants to build has been a large part of the news for so long and I have never heard any arguments about the environmental impacts of a wall. The separation of animals, building over homes and food/water resources, and altering the terrain will cause a lot of issues with the balance of the rio grande ecosystem and everything surrounding it. The manufacturing and transporting of the amount of material necessary to build it would account for an unnecessarily large amount of carbon emissions as well.The potential negative effects on the environment are another major reason why the wall shouldn’t be built because its already not an affordable project, and attempting to somehow make it more sustainable would push the cost even higher. The wall would not only be a pointless waste of money, but also a danger to nature.
March 31, 2019 at 3:18 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s hard to believe that something like the wall between Mexico and the U.S. has been debated publicly for so long, yet most people don’t know that there are harmful environmental effects involved. I was part of this population of people that had no idea until Mrs. Dixie brought it up in class. On top of being ridiculously expensive, it seems like the negative impacts the wall would have outweigh and positives there may be. Hopefully people can look past the political side of this debate and think of the danger to the environment that it would cause. We’ve done only harmful things to the environment and we need to focus on preventing any further damage. However, if this wall ends up being built, the habitats and species need to be accounted for to minimize any damage.
March 31, 2019 at 7:53 PM
Anonymous said…
I didn’t even think to consider that the wall had harmful environmental effects until I read this. I think more attention needs to be given on the environmental effects as it will harm many natural habitats and wildlife. The pollution from this wall would also harm communities nearby and create more issues that could potentially not be fixed. I don’t think the wall should be built because the negatives clearly outweigh the positives, as it is going to harm communities and families surrounding the area which is just unnecessary and can be easily avoided. Several families and wildlife will be displaced and it is just not worth the expense. Protests, speeches, gatherings, and petitions can help spread awareness of how building this wall is not helpful when considering social and environmental effects.
March 31, 2019 at 8:11 PM
Anonymous said…
It is surprising to see how much impact building a wall will bring to the environment. I don’t think many people realize how negative of an impact the wall will cause. We should get it known through social media, notices, etc. about how it effects the environmen. Also, building this 650 miles long wall will definitely not prevent some people from coming across the border. In another sense, it might get worse. I don’t think there’s a lot of way government could avoid this issue but to not build it. Not only does it effect the environment, but it also can cause damage to our politic and economics.
March 31, 2019 at 8:46 PM
Anonymous said…
As many people have said above, the building of the wall is more symbolic than anything. It is a message to Mexico and Democrats. I do not think they are prioritizing the environment in any way, shape, or form. The saddest part of building the wall that you states above is the sheer amount of biodiversity that would be lost. The planet is already suffering from previous anthropological means but now this would be an added ecological disaster in a time where the planet needs to recover from climate change.
March 31, 2019 at 10:08 PM
Anonymous said…
I've never thought about the environmental impacts of a border wall before. Since the ecology of northern Mexico and Southern US are the same, there are lots of migration between the two (I'm mainly thinking of coyotes). The simplest way to avoid this problem is to not build the wall. But I'm not gonna talk about politics. Another way to avoid this problem is to build small tubes in the wall that animals can crawl through and illegal immigrants can't. Thus, the wall is built and won't impede migration.
March 31, 2019 at 10:43 PM
Anonymous said…
I don’t personally believe in building a wall. But also there are the environmental aspects to consider, this wall may cause reproductive isolation. Isolating a population to breed with each other. This could lead to speciation but if the population is low in the first place it could lead to extinction. Also it blocks the migration of certain animals. When animals stray from their pattern they are lest likely to survive.
April 1, 2019 at 7:03 AM
Anonymous said…
To be honest, I feel like building the wall is already a controversial idea. Many believe that building the wall isn’t necessarily something that would help America great again. As I learned what the wall can influence the natural habitats and species living near the border, led me to further think that the wall will not necessarily help America in political, social, and environmental ways. If we edify other people who are not aware of the impact that the wall could bring, I believe that it would help raise the voices that goes against building the wall.
April 1, 2019 at 10:25 AM
Anonymous said…
Regardless of the social implications that the wall has created, the negative environmental impact of it has a detrimental effect to the environment. I don’t believe that immigration is such a problem to a point where the benefit of preventing illegal immigration outweighs displacing children and animals. Not only that, but the reinforcement of building the wall damages the local environment and prevents land migration. Essentially, I believe that the idea of building the wall is not a good idea and should be prevented.
April 1, 2019 at 10:25 AM
Anonymous said…
For many people, constructing this wall in order to prevent illegal immigration may seem more important than preserving wildlife and the environment. Depending on the severity of illegal immigration, I believe it’s important for us to inform the public and bring awareness of the the possible repercussions that building a wall may make on the environment and its inhabitants. All in all, protecting the environment should be considered just as highly as protecting other humans.
April 1, 2019 at 10:26 AM
Anonymous said…
I think the building of the wall is more just to send a message to Mexico and democrats in general. I personally do not agree with the building of the wall, not only because of the environmental impact, but morally. However, the environmental impact that this wall could have on our Earth is something that we have to avoid. Biodiversity will be lost and will cause a lot of displacement throughout both countries. Simply put, i strongly disagree with the wall and believe that it should not be built due to the fact that the negatives definitely outweigh the positives.😩😁❤️
April 1, 2019 at 10:28 AM
Anonymous said…
The building of the wall on the Mexican border to many people is important because they can see what illegal immigration is impacting, but what they do not realize is the environmental component of building this wall. Animals cannot just use their passport to get across the wall. They are stuck on one side or the other, and for animals who need to migrate thousands of miles in order to survive, the create of this wall will be fatal. The easiest way to combat this environmental issue is to simply not build the wall. People need to simply look past the political debates and look to the earth that we all share that we continue to destroy and put that first. If the wall is built, however, the animal’s habitats should be taken into account.
April 1, 2019 at 4:43 PM
Anonymous said…
The building of the wall on the Mexican border to many people is important because they can see what illegal immigration is impacting, but what they do not realize is the environmental component of building this wall. Animals cannot just use their passport to get across the wall. They are stuck on one side or the other, and for animals who need to migrate thousands of miles in order to survive, the create of this wall will be fatal. The easiest way to combat this environmental issue is to simply not build the wall. People need to simply look past the political debates and look to the earth that we all share that we continue to destroy and put that first. If the wall is built, however, the animal’s habitats should be taken into account.
April 1, 2019 at 4:43 PM
Anonymous said…
The idea behind the wall is to stop illegal immigration and illegal immigrants from coming in to America. Not only would the idea of the wall be billions upon billions of dollars, it would come with severe environmental impacts. Communities of animals would be separated or harmed due to the wall and it would result in a loss of biodiversity. The wall is more than anything a statement to other countries that we were able to build something like that. The importance of biodiversity outweighs the importance of a stupid wall designed for status.
April 1, 2019 at 8:21 PM
Anonymous said…
It is my opinion based on the data presented to me that the southern border wall will cause more issues than it solves. The main focus of said wall is prevent illegal immigration from our Latin American countries. Personally I don’t think that updating and improving our immigration methods are a bad idea. However this has to be the most ineffective solution. Aside from the obvious flaws in designs, I agree that the wall itself proves a massive threat to all wildlife in the area. Any time that a new structure is built, all life that was once that is affected. A structure of this size is sure to ruin the habitats across the border. Unfortunately the people that make decisions about the wall, are the same people that deny climate change and care more for oil and gas than our wellbeing.
April 8, 2019 at 11:35 AM
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