Texas needn't choose between protecting the environment and securing the border | Opinion

A federal appeals court will soon decide whether Texas' floating barriers in the Rio Grande – meant to stop illegal immigration – violate federal environmental law. 

Environmentalists warn that the barriers, as well as the razor wire and new fencing erected at Governor Greg Abbott's direction, are harming the ecosystem. Supporters of those barriers have pushed back, arguing that something has to be done to combat the unprecedented border crisis.

They're both right. And fortunately, there's an easier, less costly way to reduce illegal crossings – without harming Texas' flora and fauna.

The damage wrought by the Rio Grande barriers is real. As a recent Guardian expose notes, nearly 40% of the border has been fenced off – and those barriers are eroding the riverbank and cutting off the movement of migratory wildlife.

Doing nothing isn't an environmentally friendly option either, though. Aside from the direct damage done by illegal border crossers, the unprecedented surge of illegal immigration into Texas has contributed to the rapid growth of the U.S. population. That, in turn, among other things, helps drive habitat-and-farmland-devouring urban sprawl.

Texas accounted for 30% of the nation's population increase between July 2022 and July 2023. Many of those newcomers were illegal immigrants, adding to the 1.6 million who already resided in Texas illegally as of 2021.

This population explosion, which has been ongoing for decades, has taken its toll on the state's environment. From 2002 to 2017, Texas lost over 2,600 square miles of open space to development – and 73% of that sprawl was due to population growth.

Given this land and habitat loss – more than any other state in the nation – it's hardly surprising that Texas ranks ahead of nearly every other state in the number of endangered species. At least 74 are endangered, and another 150 are threatened, leading one publication to conclude that the state "has been facing significant biodiversity loss, largely due to human activity and urban development, causing many species to lose their habitats."

This is why, more than physical barriers, we should seek policy barriers that curb illegal immigration.

A state-level mandate requiring all businesses to use E-Verify, the free federal program that determines whether newly hired employees are in the country illegally, would deter border crossings without the need for expensive and ecologically harmful physical barriers. Currently, 21 states require at least some employers to use E-Verify, and several require it for virtually all employers. But right now, Texas only requires it for state agencies and their contractors.

A landmark 2017 study by the Dallas Federal Reserve found that "states with universal E-Verify policies typically experienced large reductions in the number of likely unauthorized immigrants." In Arizona, the Dallas Fed reported that, eight years after the policy was implemented in 2008, the unauthorized worker population was 33% lower than projected, even after accounting for variables such as the economic turmoil caused by the financial crisis. The results were even greater in Mississippi, where the number of illegal workers dropped 83%, relative to expectations. 

E-Verify is enormously popular with voters across party lines. In the March primaries, 90% of Republicans supported a non-binding ballot proposition in favor of a statewide E-Verify mandate. And according to an April poll, 50% of Texas Democrats support such a mandate – while just 23% oppose it.

Federal courts will soon rule on the legality of the barriers. But Texas policymakers don't need to wait for judges to act. They could deter illegal crossings – while protecting the environment – by requiring all businesses to use E-Verify.

Kolankiewicz is the scientific director at NumbersUSA, which advocates immigration reform.