Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expediting construction of border barriers within a national wildlife refuge in Texas.
Noem on Monday invoked a 30-year-old law to waive environmental reviews, historic preservation requirements, and other laws to build sections of border wall and related infrastructure in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
The waivers are part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to expedite border wall construction across the US-Mexico border. Congress earlier this year provided $46.5 billion to fund construction.
Illegal crossings have been at record lows since Trump took office. The Border Patrol logged ...