• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipPolitics

ACLU Continues Fight Against Trump Border Wall in New Filing

By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erin Corbett
Erin Corbett
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 30, 2019, 1:30 PM ET

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a motion in federal court late Wednesday to block parts of President Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Attorneys representing the Sierra Club and the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) are asking the court to stop construction of the border wall in Southern California, in addition to three areas near Tucson, Arizona.

The new filing comes on the heels of a win against the Trump administration last Friday in the same court. The lawsuit sought to block Trump’s use of national emergency powers to secure funds for the border wall.

In its latest court filing, the ACLU said it will put forth “virtually identical” arguments as in the previous lawsuit.

“At issue here are an additional $1.5 billion in military funds that Defendants intend to divert to construct President Trump’s wall,” the filing states.

“The Constitution is clear that the president has no power to spend taxpayer money without Congressional authorization,” said Dror Ladin, the lead attorney on the case and a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project when reached for comment. “And Congress was clear in denying the President billions of dollars for his xenophobic obsession with a wasteful, unnecessary wall. We will continue to defend this bedrock principle of our democracy — which the courts have upheld for centuries.”

The filing argued further that the Trump administration would use these funds to build parts of the wall on protected lands, including Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the San Pedro River, the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, and the El Centro valley.

Attorneys said constructing the border wall on protected federal land “will irreparably harm Plaintiff Sierra Club’s members’ recreational and aesthetic interests in the borderlands they live in, use, and treasure.”

U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam issued a preliminary ruling in favor of the Sierra Club and the SBCC last week, blocking the Trump administration from using funds transferred from military accounts to build parts of the border wall in Yuma, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas.

“The position that when Congress declines the Executive’s request to appropriate funds, the Executive nonetheless may simply find a way to spend those funds ‘without Congress’ does not square with fundamental separation of powers principles dating back to the earliest days of our Republic,” Gilliam stated.

The Justice Department said on Wednesday that it would appeal judge Gilliam’s recent decision.

Trump has promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border since the early days of his 2016 presidential campaign. Since taking office, the president has continued to push hardline policies on immigration.

Despite his promises, a majority of Americans oppose new construction of border walls along the Southern border.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fortune‘s requests for comments.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Robert Mueller Resigns, Says Charging Trump With a Crime Was ‘Not an Option’

—How civil rights and liberties activists are taking on Capitol Hill

—What exactly is ranked-choice voting?

—21 abortion restrictions have already been enacted in 2019

—Human Trafficking is an epidemic in the U.S. It’s also big business

About the Author
By Erin Corbett
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Girl reading in a library
SuccessEducation
Public schools in Texas banned cellphones. One district has already seen 200,000 more library books checked out
By Preston ForeApril 30, 2026
8 minutes ago
Bill Perkins, founder of Skylar Capital
SuccessWealth
Multimillionaire hedge fund manager Bill Perkins says money should ‘drive your fulfillment while you’re alive’—so he’s spending it all before he dies
By Emma BurleighApril 30, 2026
11 minutes ago
capuano
C-SuiteHospitality
Marriott CEO on why you have to defend both DEI and ICE’s right to a hotel room: Dictating values is a ‘bad place for the country’
By Nick LichtenbergApril 30, 2026
1 hour ago
AstraZeneca CFO Aradhana Sarin
BankingCFO Daily
How AstraZeneca’s 17,000 AI-certified employees are helping it reach a ‘stretch goal’ of $80 billion in revenue
By Sheryl EstradaApril 30, 2026
4 hours ago
mark
ConferencesHospitality
Hyatt’s CEO has built a ‘family’ culture for 20 years. Now he’s leaning on it
By Nick LichtenbergApril 30, 2026
5 hours ago
hoskins
Commentaryoffices
Gensler Co-Chair: Hot-desking was supposed to save money. It may be costing you your culture
By Diane HoskinsApril 30, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
3 days ago
‘They left me no choice’: Powell isn’t going anywhere—blocking Trump from another Fed appointee
Banking
‘They left me no choice’: Powell isn’t going anywhere—blocking Trump from another Fed appointee
By Eva RoytburgApril 29, 2026
22 hours ago
Jamie Dimon gets candid about national debt: ‘There will be a bond crisis, and then we’ll have to deal with it’
Economy
Jamie Dimon gets candid about national debt: ‘There will be a bond crisis, and then we’ll have to deal with it’
By Eleanor PringleApril 29, 2026
1 day ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
2 days ago
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
Big Tech
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
By Alexei OreskovicApril 29, 2026
15 hours ago
‘Take the money and run’: Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke on why the UAE quit OPEC
Energy
‘Take the money and run’: Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke on why the UAE quit OPEC
By Shawn TullyApril 29, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.