The border wall built under the Trump administration harmed some cultural and natural resources, affected endangered species and altered water sources, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.
"From 2017 through January 2021, federal agencies built about 450 miles of barriers along the U.S. Southwest border. To expedite construction, they waived federal environmental and other laws," the report stated.
"The construction harmed some cultural and natural resources, for example, by blasting at a tribal burial site and altering water flows.
"Before building, the Department of Homeland Security assessed some potential effects of the construction. But federal officials and stakeholders said they didn't get enough information from DHS to give meaningful input," it added.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection installed about 458 miles of border barrier panels across the southwest border from January, 2017, to January, 2021. Most panels replaced existing barriers.
Over 62% of the panels were installed on federal lands, including on those managed by the Department of Interior.
The border wall was "a symbolic message of hate, aimed at vilifying migrants," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., who requested the report.
It was "a racist, ineffective political stunt wasting billions of American taxpayers' dollars," he added.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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