The Trump administration is actively constructing a massive 30‑foot wall across nearly 27 miles of the San Rafael Valley in southern Arizona—a globally significant wildlife corridor that jaguars, ocelots, pronghorns, black bears, mountain lions, and many other species rely on to migrate between the U.S. and Mexico. 

Scientists using motion‑activated cameras recorded jaguars, pumas, ocelots, and bears crossing this corridor—and large mammals were nearly 100 % blocked where the wall exists, with overall wildlife crossings reduced by 86 %. This disruption comes as the northernmost jaguar population edges toward recovery, with more individuals entering the U.S. in recent years. 

Despite dramatic drops in unauthorized crossings and minimal human traffic in this remote zone, the Trump administration is pushing forward. Environmental laws have been waived, invasive construction is underway, and the Pentagon has reallocated funds to erect further barriers. 

Endangered wildlife cannot wait. Jaguars don’t recognize borders. This wall is severing one of the last lifelines for big cats that once roamed Arizona freely—threatening to eliminate them entirely from their historic range in the U.S. 

We demand that Congress and the Department of Homeland Security:

• Immediately halt all construction plans in the San Rafael Valley and Sky Island region. 
• Restore environmental protections and rescind blanket waivers used to bypass endangered-species laws. 
• Commit to wildlife-permeable security measures or open corridors that allow large mammals to safely cross the border.

This isn’t politics—it’s urgent conservation. If we don’t act now, we risk pushing jaguars, black bears, and pronghorns to extinction within the U.S. The San Rafael Valley is more than land; it's a corridor of survival. Wildlife rights matter. Silence on this will only embolden irreversible destruction.

Wildlife doesn’t stop at the border—and compassion shouldn’t either.