DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has invoked his authority to waive 26 federal laws, including the Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act, in response to an “acute and immediate need” to construct a border wall in south Texas. This decision marks a significant shift from the administration’s earlier stance against such barriers. The announcement targets Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where there has been a substantial increase in illegal entry, with over 245,000 migrant encounters this fiscal year. The move follows a pause in border wall construction in 2021, after Joe Biden took office and departed from former President Donald Trump’s approach to the southern border.
