The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires that federal agencies to consider “environmental effects” before undertaking a “major action.” A federal district court recently ruled in Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform v. Department of Homeland Security that the environmental impact of immigration policies must be considered under NEPA.
To illustrate, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality estimates that each illegal alien who crosses the border leaves between six to eight pounds of trash in the desert. The Biden Administration’s Department of Homeland Security did not consider this and other environmental impacts before it encouraged and facilitated, the ongoing massive surge of illegal immigration across our border.
It will be interesting to see how this ruling plays out. It is almost certain, however, that none of the major environmental organizations will try to make use of it. In the past these organizations recognized that immigration, by increasing population, could have negative environmental effects.
A prime example was the Sierra Club which stated in 1989 that “Migration to the United States should be no greater than that which will permit achievement of population stabilization in the United States.” Sierra changed its tune, however, when some members and donors made it known that immigration was an off-limits topic. In 2013, the club endorsed amnesty for illegal aliens. For some environmentalists leftist dogmas are more important than the environment.
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