New Court Documents Reveal Border Wall Costs Up to $100M per Mile, New Wall Construction Projects Slated to Begin During Pandemic

Tucson, AZ— This week, the Sierra Club obtained documents from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court— which is hearing two separate challenges about Trump’s use of military funds for border wall construction. The documents reveal that new projects will begin this week, imposing new walls on border communities in the middle of a global pandemic, and at staggering costs to U.S. taxpayers. 

The plans show wall routes through Quechan and Cocopah Native American reservations, one project near Yuma costing over $106 million for 1 to 1.5 miles, walls planned over inaccessible mountains, canyons, and across rivers, and several mistakes in Custom and Border Protection’s mapping. See the court documents here and here.

For questions about the specific content or maps, please contact Dan.Millis@sierraclub.org. 

In addition to the documents, Dan Millis, Borderlands Program Manager of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter also released the following statement:

“These plans prove that the Trump administration is wasting billions of dollars in desperately-needed funds to build its border wall during a terrible pandemic. Our border communities need resources to fight the coronavirus and protect people and frontline workers, but the Trump administration is instead subjecting us to a destructive wall without regard for the law, the landscape, or costs to Americans. It is time to put a stop to this irresponsible and reckless wall construction, especially as we face this crisis.”