Recently, you might have seen a lot of headlines regarding the Biden Border Wall Nepa Lawsuit, and if you aren’t following what is really going on, then just keep on reading. Well, first of all, you should know that the lawsuit started with some serious findings by the Arizona rancher Steven Smith, with the aggravation and notice of some serious irregularities on his property near the border that he attributed directly to the Biden administration halting the construction of the border wall, you know? Sure enough, Mr. Smith was not just upset but also claimed that the government violated a major statute: an environmental law under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). And that’s what is really where things took off, but why?
Well, just know that NEPA is the government saying, “We’ve got to make sure that we’re not going to mess up the environment with our actions before we go ahead and do them.” Smith contended that the government ignored this law by halting the wall-and it kinda backfired. Like, trash left behind by migrants crossing his land is building up and wreaking havoc on his cattle. Sure enough, down the line, a federal judge, Trevor McFadden, agreed with Smith, saying, “Yep, the government didn’t play by NEPA’s rules.” Now the administration has to face the consequences of what happened to Smith’s land.
How Texas Took on Biden and Won Big
Of course, Texas was not just sitting around watching the show, like, the Lone Star state also had its own problems with the Biden administration which included the halting of wall construction. Down the line though, Attorney General Ken Paxton sprung into action by filing a lawsuit claiming the administration was trying to spend money Congress had set aside specifically for the wall on other projects.
Keep in mind though, the court said Texas was right. The ruling stood essentially as “If Congress said this is for the wall, you can’t just go spend it on something else.” The Biden administration did not fight it but conceded. What that means is now the building must go forward on the wall. Huge win, according to Paxton, because this proves how important it is to stand up to the central government.
What’s All That Fight Over $1.4 Billion?
And that’s not it. Texas went up on the Biden administration for another round as the $1.4 billion Congress appropriated for the wall in 2020 and 2021. Biden’s team wanted to move that money to some other location, but Texas went like “Not so fast.”
A judge in Texas found that the administration could not simply reassign the funds. Reason? Because Congress already decided that this money goes to the wall. The court sided with Texas that the use of the funds otherwise would counter any attempts to stem illegal immigration, you know? Sure enough, in this case, Biden’s team maintained that it was only “fixing existing barriers” and doing some environmental damage mitigation at the border. And just so you know, yes, critics see this as a flimsy excuse to evade the conclusion of the wall.
For now, it means that the court has blocked Biden from touching that dollar, meaning more wall construction is likely in the future.
Why Everyone’s Talking About the Border Wall
It is not just about bricks and steel, this is about power, you know? Like, who controls what happens at the border? Texas and a few other states have been pushing back hard, claiming that the federal government is failing to do much to stem the increasing tide of illegal immigration. In fact, they go on to accuse the government of making things worse for border communities by shutting down the wall.
Though, the other side has environmental groups worrying about wildlife and the wall choking the land, you know?