Whitewater Draw Natural Resource Conservation District v. Johnson

Finding that the plaintiffs failed to establish standing, the court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment.

On June 1, 2017, the federal defendants filed a motion to stay the action, arguing that executive orders issued by President Trump required DHS to review and potentially rescind or revise many of the policies at issue, rendering the proceeding moot.

A group of plaintiffs filed a complaint in the federal district court for the Southern District of California in October 2016 in which they alleged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had failed to comply with NEPA when taking discretionary actions with respect to immigration. The plaintiffs included Arizona conservation districts, conservation district officials, nonprofit groups with missions to reduce or stabilize population growth and reduce immigration, and members of such organizations. The plaintiffs alleged that DHS discretionary actions resulted in in significant environmental impacts, including increases in greenhouse gas emissions, throughout the United States. The complaint alleged, among other things, that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions were increasing due to “immigration-driven population growth” and that emissions associated with immigration to the U.S. were equal to five percent of the increase in global emissions since 1980.