Biden Admin Waives Laws to Resume Border Wall Construction in Texas
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Department of Homeland Security declared Wednesday its plan to build up to 20 new miles of border barriers in Texas.
The Details: The new barriers will be built in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, an area of "high illegal entry," according to the announcement. The government will bypass several federal laws to resume construction, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act.
For Context: During his campaign, President Joe Biden said that "not another foot" of border barriers would be built during his tenure, and he halted all construction that began under former President Donald Trump. But as illegal border crossings continue, his administration is taking more hard-line steps to combat them.
How the Media Covered it: Sources across the spectrum covered the news, and most mentioned that Republicans and some leading Democrats have asked the federal government to do more about illegal border crossings. Many center- and right-rated sources highlighted how the announcement broke a campaign promise from Biden. Left-rated sources usually didn't mention that. CNN (Lean Left bias) said migration has been "a relentless focus of the Republican presidential primary field and conservative media." New York Post (Lean Right) called the move "a stark reversal of [Biden's] previous stance on the physical barrier."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Biden Administration to Resume Border Wall Construction in Policy Reversal
When he was campaigning for president, Joe Biden pledged that “not another foot” of border wall would be built on his watch. But this week, his administration announced plans to do just that.
In a public notice posted Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security outlined its intent to build up to 20 new miles of Trump administration-era border barriers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, one of the busiest crossing spots for migrants attempting to enter the U.S.
The decision comes as Republicans nearly shut down the federal government over new border-security measures, including...
From the Right
Biden administration reverses course, clears way for new border wall by waiving environmental laws
The Biden administration has paved the way for the construction of a new wall along the southern border in Texas by waiving more than a dozen federal laws in a stark reversal of its previous stance on the physical barrier.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the plan to bypass long drawn-out environmental reviews in order to expedite border wall construction in Starr County, TX as the administration struggles to handle an ongoing migrant crisis that has strained local and federal resources.
The area where construction is planned has seen “high illegal entry,”...
From the Left
Biden administration waives 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction in South Texas
The Biden administration will waive 26 laws to build additional border barriers in the Rio Grande Valley, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register Wednesday, citing “high illegal entry.”
Construction of the wall will be paid for using already appropriated funds earmarked specifically for physical border barriers. But the move comes at a time when a new surge of migrants is straining federal and local resources and placing heavy political pressure on the Biden administration to address a sprawling crisis.
Border Patrol reported nearly 300,000 encounters in the Rio Grande Valley sector between last October...
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