Real ID Act

An aerial view of President Donald Trump's border wall prototypes as seen from Tijuana, Mexico, on January 7th, 2019.
From the Archives

The Trump Administration Waives Environmental Regulations (Again) for Border Wall Construction

The Department of Homeland Security is bypassing dozens of laws to speed up the construction of several miles of fencing in Texas.

A view of the border wall between Mexico and the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on January 19th, 2018.
Environment

The Little-Known Law That the Trump Administration Is Using to Build a Border Wall

Under the Real ID Act, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen has the power to bypass environmental safeguards, rendering any ecological downside to a border wall a moot point.