Environmentalists decried the move that will forego dozens of laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to evaluate the effects of their actions on the environment.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued the first waiver of the administration to speed President Trump’s border wall, bypassing environmental regulations to aid construction. The waiver will allow for the construction of 2.

The Department of Homeland Security takes steps that it says will allow for the immediate construction of about 2.5 miles of a new border barrier in California.