Conservation groups and some U.S. wildlife officials have said expansion of the border wall will fragment habitats and disrupt migration routes in regions such as the Big Bend area of Texas, the San Rafael Valley of Arizona and the Otay Wilderness in California. The Department of Homeland Security has used legal authority to override environmental laws, leading to lawsuits against barriers.
U.S. administrations from both parties have acknowledged environmental risks but argue the barrier is necessary for national security. Officials have incorporated mitigation features like ground-level wildlife openings for small animals such as reptiles and rodents.
In the case of the Mexican wolf, mating between animals from the U.S. and Mexico could increase critically low genetic diversity, said Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director at Western Watersheds Project, a conservation group.
All modern Mexican wolves are descended from just seven wolves that were successfully bred after being captured as part of a binational breeding program started in the late 1970s.
As of this year there are at least 319 wild Mexican wolves in the U.S., around 36 in Mexico and about 380 in captive breeding programs, according to USFWS and conservation groups.
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