Courtney Bourgoin (202) 495-3022 or courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC-- Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) office released a report showing critical gaps and failures in research regarding border wall construction that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars. According to the just-released report, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not consider costs of building for various segments of the border wall, which is complicated by factors such as topography and private land ownership. The report also revealed that CBP chose locations for barriers without fully assessing where they were needed to prevent illegal border crossings.
In response, Dan Millis, Director of Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Borderlands Program, issued the following statement:
“The Government Accountability Office report is just another reminder that the border wall is nothing more than a symbol of hate and a vehicle to drive fear into the American mind while stealing billions of taxpayer dollars in the process.
“Under Trump’s direction, Customs and Border Protection has wreaked havoc in the borderlands-- tearing apart families and inflicting irreversible harm on our communities. This report only reaffirms this administration’s anti-immigration bent is not only illogical, but extremely dangerous for our country.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.