TUCSON, Ariz. — Construction crews have begun work on a new stretch of border wall in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley, igniting fierce opposition from environmental advocates who say the project threatens one of North America’s most critical wildlife corridors.
On Monday, staff from the Center for Biological Diversity documented the first 250 feet of wall going up in the Sky Island region — a global biodiversity hotspot that serves as the last intact wildlife passageway along the Arizona-Mexico border.
“I felt sick seeing the first 250 feet of this catastrophic wall rip through the San Rafael Valley,” said Russ McSpadden of the Center. “This is cruel political theater straight out of the Trump playbook, but with very real consequences. It’s an ecological disaster in the making that will cut off the country’s most important jaguar corridor.”
The planned 27-mile wall would rise 30 feet high and stretch across rugged terrain, cutting through habitat vital to jaguars, ocelots, pronghorns, black bears, mountain lions, and countless other species. A Center for Biological Diversity report warns that the project would effectively sever migration routes between Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, where animals move in search of food, mates, and safety.
The Trump administration has bypassed key environmental safeguards by waiving laws including the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Conservation groups argue that the use of sweeping waiver powers represents an unconstitutional overreach.
“The Trump administration is gutting our nation’s most fundamental environmental laws and trampling the Constitution to build this terrible border wall,” said Jean Su, a senior attorney at the Center. “It’s a reckless power grab that will permanently scar one of North America’s most biodiverse regions. We’ll do everything we can to stop this abuse of power and protect the Sky Islands and the wildlife that call it home.”
Beyond the towering steel bollards, the waivers allow contractors to bulldoze access roads and install surveillance equipment, lighting, and other infrastructure — all without environmental review. The wall will bisect the Arizona National Scenic Trail, cut near the Coronado National Memorial, and twice cross the Santa Cruz River.
Contractors have already drilled at least two wells in the region to supply construction water. Center staff reported seeing water gushing from the wells this week. During the previous wave of wall construction, groundwater pumping reached as much as 700,000 gallons per day, devastating desert springs and lowering aquifers. Local conservationists fear history will repeat itself, leaving ecosystems permanently altered.
The San Rafael Valley is one of the last remaining U.S. habitats for jaguars. Remote cameras have captured images of wild jaguars roaming the area in recent years. Conservationists warn that closing this passage could eliminate the species’ presence in the United States altogether.
Fisher Sand and Gravel, the company awarded the $334 million contract, is moving forward despite lawsuits challenging the project. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed suit, arguing that the administration’s reliance on waiver authority strips away protections for clean air, clean water, wildlife, and local communities.
Environmentalists emphasize that the wall will not only harm endangered species but also fuel border militarization that impacts human rights, tribal lands, local businesses, and international relations.
“There is no evidence of frequent human migration in this stretch of the border,” McSpadden added, underscoring that the ecological toll outweighs any security benefit.
The fight over the San Rafael Valley wall is now emerging as a flashpoint in the broader debate over border security, conservation, and constitutional checks on executive authority.
Originally reported by Center For Biological Diversity.
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