Free Republic

New drone footage shows border-wall construction blasting through a wildlife refuge and mountain range in one of the most remote regions of the United States... The wall is being built through the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, home to the endangered Sonoran pronghorn, and the rugged Tinajas Altas Mountains in the Barry M. Goldwater Bombing Range east of Yuma, Arizona... The construction has forever altered the centuries-old Camino del Diablo, or Devil’s Highway. The ancient trade route, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was traveled by Native Americans, explorers, miners and missionaries like Father Eusebio Kino. Once a...

It’s midday in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. As the sun beats down, saguaro cacti throw little shade over this part of the Sonoran Desert, where summer temperatures regularly top 37°C (99°F). Today though a very narrow segment of the park is getting a little more shade. It’s accompanied by the incessant whine of construction vehicles. President Donald Trump’s major campaign promise is taking shape — a rusty, nine-meter tall mix of concrete and steel. As of January 31, 185 kilometers (115 miles) of new wall had been built, according to the US Customs and Border Protection Agency. Depending on...

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT — While politicians in Phoenix and Congress talk about building a tall fence along Arizona's border with Mexico, workers here are completing a shorter and more modest obstacle. This low-slung vehicle barrier will do nothing to stop people from walking into Southern Arizona illegally. But on public lands where the obstacles are popping up, officials say the devices have succeeded in stopping the so-called drive-throughs that can imperil law enforcement and scar the thin-skinned desert for decades. Homeland Security and other officials have disclosed plans to build similar barriers along most of the border between...

On Aug. 12, CNN aired a "breaking" news conference to update viewers on a matter it considered of global importance: the medical condition of Jason Priestley -- a washed-up, 32-year-old former TV idol who sustained moderate injuries during a Kentucky auto race over the weekend. On Aug. 12, more than 700 mourners from across the country gathered to mark the tragic murder of Kris Eggle -- a 28-year-old National Park Service ranger who was gunned down near the U.S.-Mexico border last week. Not a single national network or cable news station mentioned the memorial service or the outrageous circumstances...