Newly constructed border wall segment further endangers rare desert fish, conservation organization says

A newly constructed segment of border wall in southern Arizona will keep out more than just illegal immigrants, a nonprofit conservation organization says.

He border wall segment and a “paved road crossing California Gulch in Arizona is blocking the flow of a stream critical to the survival of one of only two American populations of Sonoran carp,” reads a news release from the Center for Biological Diversity.

The “rare desert fish” is a “small, moderately plump fish that feeds on a variety of native food sources and has a unique and distinctive red coloration on the underside when in breeding condition,” the organization says.

“The new wall and road will push these endangered fish to the brink of extinction,” Krista Kemppinen, Ph.D., senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.

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A then-and-now look at the section of border wall in southern Arizona that affects the endangered Sonoran carp fish. (Russ McSpadden/Center for Biological Diversity)

“He The survival of the Sonoran chub It depends on being able to access scarce desert water on both sides of the border, exchange genetic material with nearby populations in Mexico, and bolster their populations with fish migrations upriver from Sonora after droughts. “New construction makes all of that impossible,” he continued.

The organization drew attention to the matter just a few days before President-elect Donald Trump is ready to resume office and step up his border security efforts.

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A close-up look at the endangered Sonoran chub, a “creek-dwelling minnow” that typically measures between five and seven inches long. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

“Designating California Gulch as critical habitat is more urgent than ever to minimize other threats, such as keeping cows out of Sonoran pools,” Kemppinen said in the statement. “It is also imperative that carefully designed culverts be added to new border infrastructure to allow at least some semblance of natural flow and migration. If federal officials really want to save this fish, they must act now.”

Earlier this month, Trump sparked a heated debate over whether Democrats should be to blame for the California wildfires after accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of caring more about protecting endangered fish species known as smelts than protecting to residents of the state from wildfires.

President Donald Trump speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as they participate in a ceremony commemorating the 200 miles of border wall on the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, on June 23 of 2020. (SAÚL LOEB/AFP)

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Trump set off a firestorm Wednesday when he criticized Newsom on his Truth Social platform for wanting to “protect an essentially useless fish” instead of protecting Californians’ water needs. However, the comments are not new. In the run-up to the November election, Trump made this claim during an October interview with podcast host Joe Rogan.

Neither the Center for Biological Diversity nor the Trump transition team responded to a request for comment on this story.

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.