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The city of San Diego sued the federal government to stop the construction of barbed wire fences on city-owned land near the U.S.-Mexico border, accusing federal agencies of trespassing and environmental damage.
The city filed suit Monday in the U.S. District Court of Southern California. The complaint named Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth among the defendants.
The city accused the federal government of acting without legal authority when it entered Marron Valley municipal property and began installing barbed wire fencing.
“The City of San Diego will not allow federal agencies to ignore the law and damage City property,” City Attorney Heather Ferbert said in a news release. She said the lawsuit aimed to protect sensitive habitats and ensure environmental commitments are met.
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San Diego is suing the federal government to stop the construction of barbed wire fences on municipal property in Marron Valley. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg via Getty Images, file)
According to the lawsuit, federal personnel, including U.S. Marines, accessed the land without the city’s consent and damaged environmentally sensitive areas protected by long-standing conservation agreements.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth were among the federal officials named in the San Diego lawsuit. (Reuters/Brian Snyder; AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
San Diego says the fence has blocked the city’s ability to manage and assess its own properties and could jeopardize compliance with environmental obligations.
An American flag can be seen through the barbed wire surrounding the CoreCivic Otay Mesa Detention Center on October 4, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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The lawsuit also accuses the federal government of trespassing and beginning construction without proper permitting or environmental review, and of unconstitutionally taking the land in violation of the Fifth Amendment.
Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS and the Pentagon for comment.
