Jesus Christ, and for no good reason whatsoever

Bulldozers are expected to soon plow through the protected habitat of the National Butterfly Center along the Rio Grande to clear the way for President Trump’s border wall, which got a green light from the Supreme Court this week.

Hundreds of thousands of butterflies flit through the center’s 100-acre sanctuary in Mission [...] said Marianna Wright, the executive director.

[...]

“Just like farmers get crop yield in acres and inches, we get butterflies based on what we have planted in acres and inches,” Wright said. “So having a wide swath of our property bulldozed is going to negatively impact the volume of the species and diversity of the species.”

The wall could be up to three stories tall, with 18-foot steel beams, called bollards, rising from a concrete base. Construction through the refuge could start in February.

The high court let stand an appeals ruling that lets the administration bypass 28 federal laws, mostly to protect the environment, to build the wall in the Rio Grande Valley.

[...]

The butterfly center sued the government after contract workers appeared unannounced on its property in July 2017. Chainsaws in hand, they began clearing out protected habitat where the border wall was planned.

“That is criminal. And unconstitutional,” Wright said.

[...]

Some of the laws that were waived include the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

[...]

Other laws being waived for this construction include the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act and the Clean Air Act.

[...]

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela managed to exclude the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge from the current wall budget. He said it was “devastating” that the wall will cut through the butterfly center, the historic La Lomita Chapel and Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park and possibly dozens of family cemeteries.

[...]

“We’re on the verge of giving Trump his third down payment on his $25 billion border wall,” he said. “It’s death by a thousand cuts and we’re not getting any immigration relief in return.”

[...]

By refusing to hear the case, the Supreme Court upheld a February ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel of San Diego in favor of the government.

  San Antonio Express News

Another reason it's important to pack the courts.

This is disgusting and an outrage. And it won't do a damned thing to stop illegal border crossings, and everybody knows it.  Shame on Trump and shame on Congress.   Despicable people.