John,
The San Rafael Valley in Arizona is a breathtaking landscape of grasslands, riparian areas, and forested mountain foothills. It’s also one of the last wildlife migration corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border for jaguars, ocelots, black bears, pronghorns, and other animals.
A 30-foot-high, 27-mile-long steel wall could soon rip through this wild place.
The Trump administration is racing to build a wall in the valley, continuing a project that was started during Trump's first term. Construction is imminent. And in a rush to get building, the Department of Homeland Security has waived dozens of environmental laws that protect wildlife, water, and air — including the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act.
A wall in the San Rafael Valley would be a disaster for jaguar recovery, since jaguars use the valley’s open corridors to journey north from Mexico in search of food, water, and mates. It would stop animals in their tracks, separate existing populations from each other, and fragment crucial wildlife habitats — pushing vulnerable desert species closer to extinction.
The wall and its waivers also blatantly disrespect the United States' laws. They silence public input and scientific data and give U.S. Customs and Border Protection a pass to harm Indigenous ancestral lands and regional water sources — all at a time when border crossings have fallen by more than 97% in the region.
Tell Customs and Border Protection to protect this vibrant, living landscape from a destructive border wall.
