Friday, December 7, 2018: ELP led by Laurie Williams and Gloria Smith joined with our partners at the Southern Border Communities Coalition in filing a federal lawsuit against the use of REAL-ID Act waivers to construct the border wall through the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. This is our fourth lawsuit to date against the expansion of the border wall.
The REAL-ID Act waivers constitute the longest repeal of laws in U.S. history, and allow the border wall and other border militarization projects to be constructed without adhering to the requirements of over 37 federal laws. This particular waiver was used to expedite the extraordinary harmful construction of the border wall along the Rio Grande, with construction scheduled for this February to bulldoze through the National Butterfly Center, historic La Lomita Chapel, and Bentsen RGV State Park, among other areas. Our lawsuit calls for that construction to be immediately halted.