Rep. Grijalva Responds to Closure of Public Lands for Border Wall Construction

Tucson, AZ — Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva released the following statement responding to the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to close roads and restrict public access to miles of lands along the U.S.-Mexico border as they proceed with wall construction.
The closures are expected to remain in place through January 2029 according to a US Forest Service announcement , which was posted on its website yesterday without any prior public input or notification.
“Using border wall construction to justify closing dozens of acres of public lands at a moment's notice through January 2029 is unnecessary and deeply troubling - especially when these lands include sensitive ecosystems and world-class biodiversity that cannot simply be replaced. We have already seen the devastating consequences when DHS and its contractors operate without oversight along the border, including the destruction of the Las Playas Intaglio ." "Arizonans deserve transparency about what is happening on our public lands. We have a right to know why such a sweeping closure is necessary and what is being done to protect these areas — not be shut out from documenting the impacts of border wall construction."
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