Federal judge settles lawsuit on harms to border environment

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge in Arizona on Monday settled a lawsuit filed against the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, saying the agencies failed to study potential harms to the environment from increased enforcement along the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision springs from a 2017 lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat. It says federal officials failed to prepare an updated environmental impact statement for border enforcement. Brian Segee is the center’s legal director for endangered species. He calls the decision “a win for wildlife and communities along the border.”