DHS will use Border Wall Funds to Fill Gaps in the Wall

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On Monday, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) announced that the department will use border wall funds to finalize some remaining gaps in the wall. It is noteworthy that former US President Donald Trump started the US-Mexico border wall, but President Joe Biden shut down all construction on the wall when he entered office on Jan. 20. His decision left large sections of the wall incomplete and construction material sitting unused on the border. The plan doesn’t include the construction of additional miles of the wall but would close small gaps that remain open from prior construction activities and remediate incomplete gates. DHS said the move is part of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ plan to use border funds.

Mayorkas said, “The funds will be used to protect border communities from physical dangers resulting from the previous administration’s approach to border wall construction”. The department also said that the border funds will be used on drainage systems in order to utilize waste in the completion of unfinished access roads and to discard construction materials that are already at the border but will not be used for the damaged work. Moreover, the work will happen in the Tucson, Yuma, and El Paso border sectors, which stretch from California to Texas. The DHS said it is also considering other potential work in all 3 states. On Monday, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Rob Portman also issued a statement.

He said the move is a step in the right direction. Portman added, “I’m pleased to see that they are finally taking some actions to secure our border, now is not the time to incentivize unlawful migration or the influx of deadly fentanyl by continuing their failed policies. I call on the Biden administration to install the technology Border Patrol needs to complete their mission to close all the gaps in the border wall and to implement policies to curb the influx of unlawful migrants and illicit narcotics”. However, the DHS said, “The department continues to call on Congress to cancel remaining border wall funding and instead fund smarter border security measures that are proven to be more effective at improving safety and security at the border”.