Trump admin waives environmental laws to allow U.S.-Mexico border wall construction

The Trump administration has announced that it would waive environmental and other laws and regulations that impede the first phase of construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision clears an important hurdle to construction of the wall, and signals an approach the administration could take in the future when it seeks to build additional sections of wall or fence, CNN reports.

The waiver announced applies to "a variety of environmental, natural resource, and land management laws" in the San Diego sector.

The 15-mile stretch identified in the waiver also includes 14 miles of replacement secondary fencing, for which the Customs and Border Protection has requested funding from the Congress.

The waiver applies to 37 laws and regulations, most of them environmental in nature, a Homeland Security official told CNN. The department said it would publish the full waiver "in the coming days."

The federal officials also need to look into the protests by a company that competed for, but was not awarded, a building contract.

The announcement follows concerns raised by conservation groups and Democrats that border barriers would hurt the environment.