California is suing the Trump administration, again. This time, it’s over construction of Trump’s beloved wall along the U.S.-Mexico border along the California coast.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of the state of California, the California Coastal Commission and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, seeks to protect California’s “residents, natural resources, economic interests and procedural rights” with respect to the construction and planning of a border wall.
The suit aims to stop the Department of Homeland Security from “engaging in any and all planning, design and construction activities related to installing barriers along the United-States Mexico border” until DHS complies with requirements set in place by the National Environmental Policy Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, and a handful of other national and state ordinances in place to protect California’s environment.
California argues that construction of the border wall would directly harm the state's territory and interests, including its ocean coastline and its natural resources. According to plaintiffs, a 140-mile segment of the border wall to be constructed on the southern border of California is home to “several endangered and/or specially listed plant and animal species,” and the wall would potentially put them at risk.
Plaintiffs also argued the border wall would affect the state’s tourism industry: According to the lawsuit, Mexicans made 7.9 million trips to California in 2016, and spent more than $3 billion in 2015.
This lawsuit comes at the heels of a different lawsuit filed by Becerra earlier this month, in which California is suing the Trump administration over Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Meanwhile, Texas' Attorney General Ken Paxton has lauded Trump’s border wall promise. In other words, don't expect Texas to join in California's fight anytime soon
“I’m not saying we need a fence or a wall everywhere, but I do think in certain places it is the most effective means to prevent illegal crossings and crime,” Paxton told Fox News.
In other words, don't expect Texas to follow California's border fight anytime soon.
