Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Abdullah Hasan, ahasan@aclu.org
Washington, DC-- Today, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift a district court order permanently blocking the administration from building Trump’s border wall using military funds unauthorized by Congress. The district court order, which a federal appeals court last week kept in place, came in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of the Sierra Club and Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) challenging President Trump’s abuse of emergency powers to secure funds for a border wall Congress denied.
In response, the plaintiff organizations released the following statements:
“Congress has already considered and rejected Trump’s xenophobic obsession with a wall. And the Constitution is clear that the President has no power to disregard that decision. We will continue to defend the Constitution’s clearly defined separation of powers, which the Supreme Court has recognized for centuries,” said Dror Ladin, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, who argued the case.
“The courts have twice ruled against Trump’s requests to stay this important court order stopping construction of his ruinous wall. Now he is asking the Supreme Court to step in and save his wall, but we will continue to vehemently fight these tactics” said Gloria Smith, Managing Attorney at the Sierra Club. “Residents who live along the border bear the burden from this wall everyday-- its harm to their communities and the environment. The Sierra Club will continue to fight this disgraceful project every step of the way.”
“Trump’s obsession with building his dangerous and deadly wall using illegally diverted military funds is a complete disregard for the checks and balances that are integral to our democracy,” said Vicki B. Gaubeca, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition. “His attempts to sidestep Congress and further militarize the southern border with this deadly wall threatens the quality of life of the 15 million people who call the southern border home.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.