One of Donald Trump's star campaign slogans in 2016 was, "Build that wall." Six years and six months later, again in an election period, with the Democrats at the helm of the government, the former president's promise continues to resonate. The Department of Homeland Security authorized the addition of 20 miles to the wall on the southern border.
"DHS is legally mandated to use the remaining FY2019 funds for their appropriated purpose," the department explained in a statement, after announcing that money designated at the time for the construction of the wall in the Rio Grande Valley Sector has been recovered.
Despite having given the go-ahead to begin the work, DHS is asking Congress to cancel or redirect the funds. Stressing that it would prefer to "prioritize deploying technology and other system elements" and reiterating that it is bound by the budget passed in the Republican's term, the department explains what the barrier will look like:
CBP will be using 18-foot steel bollard fence panels placed in removable concrete jersey barriers, as the steel bollard design remains the most operationally effective design and has been tested and evaluated over the last several years. ... This project will also include the installation of system attributes, such as detection technology, lighting, and access roads. The proposed project, which does not involve the use of U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuge tracts, is located within Starr County, Texas, which is USBP’s highest priority location within the RGV Sector.
CBP estimated that $190 million of the $1.375 billion funding approved in 2019 remained.
This is not the first time the Biden administration has added to the wall. In July of last year, for example, the President authorized the expansion of the wall in an open area in Yuma, Ariz., near Morelos Dam.
