Donald Trump Jr. and extreme right winger Steve Bannon are among those in attendance at a three-day Republican event in New Mexico this weekend.
The event was organized by We Build the Wall, the group behind the GoFundMe that raised $23 million for a crowd-funded border wall in New Mexico, near El Paso, Tex.
No doubt, those in attendance will be celebrating this weekend. The event comes amid a breaking decision by the Supreme Court Friday that has allowed Trump administration to use billions from the Department of Defense to build a border wall in Arizona, California and New Mexico.
Trump had previously failed to secure funding for his wall after stubbornly battling Congress in a 35-day government shutdown standoff. After his defeat with lawmakers, he declared a national emergency and signaled his intent to use DoD dollars for the wall, leading to today’s Supreme Court ruling after his move was challenged in court.
“The United States Supreme Court overturns lower court injunction, allows Southern Border Wall to proceed,” Trump tweeted after the 5-4 decision. “Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!”
Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro issued a statement following the Court’s ruling.
“Taking away money from the Defense Department to build a wall will not make us any safer. Trump’s political stunt will harm border communities & ignores the root causes of migration. We deserve a president with a common sense & compassionate immigration plan.”
The Texas Observer has published Trump’s plans for a Texas border wall that would cut through the Rio Grande Valley. Texas landowners along the border have received surprise letters from the Trump Administration, telling them “the Government has an immediate need to enter your property” to begin building the wall.
It’s not yet clear when the Trump administration will move to divert DoD funds and begin construction for the wall.
“This is not over. We will be asking the federal appeals court to expedite the ongoing appeals proceeding to halt the irreversible and imminent damage from Trump’s border wall,” Dror Ladin, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement. “Border communities, the environment, and our Constitution’s separation of powers will be permanently harmed should Trump get away with pillaging military funds for a xenophobic border wall Congress denied.”
