Lawsuit Targets Lack of Public Information on Trump's Border Wall

The Public Information Act has not been sufficient in getting the Trump Administration to divulge information about its plans to build a wall between the United States and Mexico.

1 minute read

June 1, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Border Wall

mdurson / Shutterstock

"The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency today for failing to provide briefing materials prepared for Trump’s transition team that discuss construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border," according to a press release by the Center for Biological Diversity.

The Center requested the materials in January under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents may contain discussion of the feasibility, effectiveness or impacts of building Trump’s wall. But so far the agencies have failed to provide the records.

The new lawsuit is not the first to target Trump's big campaign pledge to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) also filed suit in April 2017, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, calling "for an in-depth investigation into the wall’s potential impact on the environment." For those keeping track at home, the Center for Biological Diversity has filed 19 lawsuits against the Trump Administration at the time of this writing.

For more on the potential environmental impact of a proposed wall, see also an article from April by Eliza Barclay and Sarah Frostenson.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017 in Center for Biological Diversity

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive