Chair Grijalva Statement on Transfer of 65 Acres of Bureau of Land Management Property to Army Control to Accelerate Building of Trump’s Wall

Washington, D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on the transfer of approximately 65 acres of Bureau of Land Management property – including 53 acres near Yuma, Ariz. – to the U.S. Department of the Army to accelerate the building of President Trump’s unpopular wall on our southern border. The transfer was made under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

“The Trump administration has no shame when it comes to destroying our public lands. They apparently don't see the irony in using a statute intended for the emergency protection of treasured landscapes to build their racist, ineffective border wall. This law is meant to protect the pristine qualities of natural areas; they'll use it to build roads, powerlines, and a monument to this president's vanity. While withdrawals under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act aren't as eye-catching as stealing money from military family housing, they're just as damaging. Similar emergency withdrawal orders have already been used to desecrate native grave sites, to topple ancient saguaros considered sacred by multiple tribes, and to keep the public off their lands, yet they shamelessly continue. This act should infuriate anyone who is paying attention.”

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Media Contact: Adam Sarvana

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