Originally published at: THE WALL: Interior Department Hands Over 500 Acres to Pentagon for New Border Wall Construction | Sean Hannity
The Department of the Interior transferred hundreds of acres to the US Army this week; clearing the path for the Pentagon to begin construction on more border wall along the southern border.
“Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced today the transfer of administrative jurisdiction of approximately 560 acres of Federal lands to the U.S. Department of the Army (Army) to build roughly 70 miles of border barriers. This action comes in response to a series of applications for Emergency Withdrawal as submitted by the Army for construction or augmentation of barriers along the southern border. No national parks nor segments from Indian country are included in the land transfer,” says a statement from Bureau of Land Management.
GREAT progress on the Border Wall! pic.twitter.com/TvOYxgsBSv
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2019
“The Army submitted its requests following Presidential Proclamation 9844, issued by President Trump on February 15, 2019, declaring a national emergency regarding the border security and humanitarian crisis at our southern border. The requests follow the Defense Department announcementon September 4, 2019 to defer $3.6 billion to fund 11 barrier projects at our southern border. In accordance with this proclamation, and as requested by the Army, the land will be transferred to the Army for military construction projects under 10 U.S.C. 2808,” adds the release.
“I’ve personally visited the sites that we are transferring to the Army, and there is no question that we have a crisis at our southern border. Absent this action, national security and natural resource values will be lost. The impacts of this crisis are vast and must be aggressively addressed with extraordinary measures,” said Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “The damages to natural resource values are a byproduct of the serious national security, drug enforcement, and other immigration challenges facing our dedicated staff along the border. Construction of border barriers will help us maintain the character of the lands and resources under our care and fulfill our mission to protect them.”
Read the full statement here.
