Joe Biden has approved the expansion of the border wall with Mexico. The president is expanding a project that he promised to stop during the 2000 election campaign. Then, under Donald Trump, there was talk of a "racist wall". Now, this barrier to contain illegal immigration is seen as an element of security.
The government has authorized completion of the fence in an open area in Yuma, Arizona, near Morelos Dam, which has become one of the busiest places for illegal aliens to cross. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says in a statement that this reinforcement will give greater protection to immigrants from the "risk of drowning or injury from falls" when walking through a shallow section of the Colorado River.
Alejandro MayorkasSecretary of Homeland Security, has authorized the expansion of the wall "reflecting [the Administration's] priorities to deploy modern and effective border measures, as well as enhance security along the southwest border," the statement said. What was once an unnecessary and 'racist' expense has now become a security priority. Not to be left out is the green touch: "Prior to construction, DHS will conduct environmental planning," the statement adds.
Border control
The Yuma area is one of the most targeted by Border Patrol agents. They say that they are watched by smugglers on the Mexican side who manage the arrival of illegals into the country as they please. Notes the AP Agency The border agents made more than 160,000 immigrant detentions between January and June in the Yuma sector, a figure almost four times higher compared to the same period of the previous year. The only two sectors with increased activity were Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
The U.S. -Mexico border is the deadliest land crossing in the world. In 2021, more than 720 deaths were recorded at the crossing between the two countries. So far this year, more than 600 migrants have lost their lives at the border. With this data, many southern leaders are criticizing Biden' s inaction and openly speaking of an"invasion" of illegals in the country.
Biden's decision to secure the border wall comes after Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, called on the president to secure the border, joining Republican voices that have been making this call for months. Biden reacts timidly by extending a wall that just two years ago he described as useless.
