Federal border tactics are colliding with local land rules in San Diego—literally, according to a new lawsuit. The city filed suit Monday against multiple federal agencies, accusing them of trespassing on city-owned conservation land in Marron Valley to build razor-wire fencing without permission. The complaint says about a dozen Marines were discovered last month installing a triple-layer "pyramid stack" of concertina wire on the property, which sits near the US-Mexico line and is covered by a 1997 habitat protection deal between the city, California wildlife officials, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, per the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The suit says federal personnel caused "irreparable" harm to a protected area that contains vernal pools and habitat for endangered species, and left behind "excessive trash" and surveillance equipment for which permission had "expired." The suit also claims the fencing has prevented city officials from accessing the property, per KNSD. The suit alleges seven causes of action, including trespass, public nuisance, and violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, and asks a court to halt any further fencing, walls, or surveillance gear on the land and to affirm the city's ownership and constitutional claims.
Named defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and US Customs and Border Protection, along with their leaders. DHS, in a statement shared by CBP, defended its approach, saying "DHS will continue to use every tool in its toolbox to defend the American people from dangerous foreign criminals—and we look forward to challenging this lawsuit." The dispute unfolds as the federal government moves to reclassify roughly 740 acres of public land in San Diego and Imperial counties as a restricted National Defense Area, a zone that appears to overlap or border the city's Marron Valley property.
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