Donald Trump’s latest border wall project is raising alarms among conservationists in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley. This isolated stretch of land supports a thriving population of rare animals, but few people ever pass through. Despite that, nearly 25 miles of new barrier could soon rise here, disrupting critical habitats.
Customs and Border Protection has called on private firms to bid for construction contracts. The proposed section will cut across the southern Tucson region, one of the most biodiverse zones in the country. Rolling grasslands and high desert landscapes dominate the terrain, bordered by towering mountain ranges called sky islands.
Conservation groups warn that Trump’s border wall threatens wildlife corridor dynamics that have existed for generations. These natural passageways allow large predators and other species to move freely between ecosystems. Eamon Harrity, a program manager for a conservation nonprofit, described the region as a vital link for biodiversity.
Along dirt roads near the Santa Cruz River, his organization has placed over 60 wildlife cameras. These devices capture thousands of images of bears, bobcats, pronghorns, and mountain lions moving through the open landscape. According to Harrity, that movement will end once the wall is completed.
The concern is not new. Since 2020, the conservation alliance has tracked animal activity using more than 110 cameras across the wider border region. Data from these cameras support fears that Trump’s border wall threatens wildlife corridor continuity. Harrity emphasized that once the path is closed, animal populations will fragment and decline.
Despite these concerns, construction appears imminent. Customs and Border Protection confirmed it plans to build near International Boundary Monument 102. This section falls within the Sonoita Border Patrol Station’s jurisdiction.
In addition to blocking wildlife, critics argue that the wall offers little benefit in such a low-traffic area. The region sees minimal human migration, raising further doubts about the necessity of a barrier here.
Trump’s border wall threatens wildlife corridor systems that play a key role in ecological health. If completed, the new structure will create long-term consequences for native species and their habitats. Conservationists continue to call for a halt to the project.
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