Walk between a series of buoys placed in the water along the Rio Grande border with Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas, on July 16, 2023. Suzanne Lamb/AFP/Getty Images
Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem has waived federal environmental laws, citing the need to address security gaps that have enabled various types of illegal activities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release on July 3 that waterways along the southwest border were identified as an important “capacity gap” in border enforcement efforts.