A U.S. conservation group and Congressman Raul Grijalva filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in an attempt to block U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The lawsuit seeks to push the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prepare a "programmatic environmental impact statement" for the U.S.-Mexico Border enforcement program, according to KTAR News.
"Some areas within 50 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border have been identified as the 'critical habitat' for at least 25 species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said KTAR News.
"We filed the lawsuit in consideration of all perspectives of environment," Randy Serraglio with the Arizona-based Center of Biological Diversity told Xinhua on Wednesday, saying the lawsuit called for an in-depth investigation of the potential environmental impact.
"The perspectives we consider in the lawsuit include wildlife, endangered species like jaguars and ocelots, border security and border patrol. The proposed border wall could affect the habitats of the threatened or endangered species," said Serraglio.
"It's not because of immigration or other issues, but only for environmental factors," he said.
Arizona State Congressman Raul Grijalva sided with the environmental group in this lawsuit, pointing out in a statement issued Wednesday that "American environmental laws are some of the oldest and strongest in the world, and they should apply to the borderlands."
"These laws exist to protect the health and well-being of our people, our wild life and the places they live," he said.
On January 25, Trump signed an executive order for a "physical barrier" to be built along the U.S.-Mexico border of nearly 3,200 km.
