A newly built section of border wall in southern Arizona will keep illegal immigrants from entering even more, a conservation nonprofit says.
the Border wall sector “A paved road across the Gulf of California in Arizona blocks downstream flow that is critical to the survival of one of only two U.S. populations of the Sonora chub,” a Center for Biological Diversity press release said.
The organization says that the “rare desert fish” is “a small, rather plump fish that feeds on a variety of local food sources and has a unique and distinctive red color on the underside when in its reproductive state.”
“The new wall and road will push these vulnerable fish to the brink of extinction,” Krista Kemppinen, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
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A then and now look at a portion of the border wall in southern Arizona that affects the endangered Sonora chub. (Ross McSpadden/Center for Biological Diversity)
“the Sonora chub survival It relies on the ability to access scarce desert waters on both sides of the border, exchange genetic material with nearby populations in Mexico, and support its population with upstream fish migration from Sonora after droughts. “The new construction makes all of that impossible,” she continued.
The organization drew attention to the matter a few days ago President-elect Donald Trump He is scheduled to regain his position and intensify his efforts to secure the border.
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A close-up of the endangered Sonora fish, a “stream-dwelling fish” that typically measures five to seven inches long. (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
“Designating California Gulch as critical habitat is more urgent than ever to reduce other threats, such as keeping cows out of Sonora chub ponds,” Kemppinen said in the statement. “It is also necessary to add carefully designed channels to the new border infrastructure to allow at least some semblance of natural flow and migration. If federal officials are serious about saving these fish, they need to act now.”
Earlier this month, Trump sparked a fiery debate over whether Democrats were to blame for California's wildfires after he accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of being more concerned with protecting an endangered fish species known as smelt than protecting the state's residents from wildfires.
President Donald Trump speaks with US Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as they participate in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of the border wall on the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, on June 23, 2020. (Sol Loeb/AFP)
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Trump sparked a firestorm on Wednesday when he criticized Newsom on his Truth Social platform for wanting to “protect a basically worthless fish” at the expense of protecting the water needs of Californians. But the comments are not new. In the run-up to the November election, Trump made the claim during an interview in October Podcaster Joe Rogan.
Neither the Center for Biological Diversity nor the Trump transition team responded to a request for comment for this story.
Fox News' Alec Schimmel contributed to this report.
