Butterfly Sanctuary Receives "Death Sentence" from Trump's Border Wall

More than 200 species of butterflies are in danger of losing their sanctuary via bulldozer thanks to President Trump’s border wall.

The 100-acre National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, straddles the Rio Grande River and the United States-Mexico border, placing it in the middle of where Trump would like his proposed border wall to spring from the Earth. Currently, the area is a lush paradise for the insects but that could change as soon as this February, The Guardian reported.

“It’s like something from Fantasia,” said the center’s director, Marianna Wright. “When you walk you have to cover your mouth so you don’t suck in a butterfly.”

But just last week, the Supreme Court issued a ruling allowing the Trump administration to waive 28 federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Air Act, to begin construction on 33 miles of border wall — right through the butterfly center.

“This is not just that they will drive ocelots to extinction,” said co-chair of the Sierra Club Borderland team, Scott Nicol, referring to the critically endangered wild cat found in the Rio Grande Valley. “Families trying to come into this country will be pushed into the desert to die.”

“Border walls are death sentences for wildlife and humans alike,” added Amanda Munro of the Southwest Environmental Center, an organization that works to restore and protect native wildlife and habitats. “They block wild animals from accessing the food, water and mates they need to survive. They weaken genetic diversity, fragment habitat, and trap animals in deadly floods. At the same time, they drive desperate asylum seekers to risk their lives in the unforgiving desert.”