The acting chief of the Department of Homeland Security will tout the construction of 400 miles of the border wall Thursday amid emotional left-wing protests against President Donald Trump’s barrier.
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf is expected in McAllen, Texas, to celebrate the milestone with Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
After Trump’s slow start in 2017 and 2018, he declared a national emergency in early 2019 and pressed his deputies to get as much border wall built as possible.
Right Side Broadcasting NetworkOfficials began getting Pentagon money and promised to build 450 miles by November’s election day, despite continued resistance from pro-migration groups.
The wall is now growing around 10 miles per week, and Morgan is regularly tweeting videos of construction progress.
More than 40 miles of border wall system completed in San Diego Sector. It’s helping @CBP stop illegal migration, violent crime, and deadly drugs. pic.twitter.com/Wz0ZufaH2P
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 27, 2020
Border wall system construction continues in El Paso Sector.
Every mile is an investment in national security. pic.twitter.com/CVjkIulkPN
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 24, 2020
Don’t believe the critics. All wall is NEW wall.
Every mile matters in our fight against drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegal immigration. pic.twitter.com/AQSm2wgENd
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 23, 2020
The wall helps shape criminals' behavior while protecting the American people. https://t.co/DBZSEDhZS5
— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) October 27, 2020
The critics are getting more bitter as the barrier advances.
Mark is a coward. He needs to sit with me for a day in Guadalupe Canyon. This is what I document all day long. https://t.co/hUVvOCnPi6 pic.twitter.com/WG9Dzv7D1o
— FollowTheJohn (@iamKurc) October 27, 2020
Currently @kiewit is blasting access roads in Guadalupe Canyon. The area where the border fence "may" be installed is EXTREMELY steep & vehicles can not reach them. This destruction is unwarranted and sickening! This is footage I shot this morning. Dynamite courtesy of MC Donegan pic.twitter.com/kzyuZowXmH
— FollowTheJohn (@iamKurc) October 24, 2020
The construction project also includes flood doors so that the barrier can cross rivers and dry beds with far less risk of logjams during seasonal floods:
Not many people have seen the San Pedro River in southern Arizona, the last free-flowing S to N river from Mexico@in SW. I did. I also saw how the border wall is bisecting it. Plz watch my video and story on #BorderReport. https://t.co/4nh8uHhkvh
— Sandra Sanchez (@SandraESanchez) October 23, 2020
Presenting CBP’s 2021 Wall calendar https://t.co/t6bs05tUyR
— Nick Miroff (@NickMiroff) October 27, 2020
But the construction program does have real problems — partly because progressives have fought against it tooth-and-nail. The Wall Street Journal reported October 23:
President Trump set the goal about a year ago and, to fulfill it, contractors are building largely on land the federal government already owns, including in areas where illegal border crossings have been relatively low in recent years. In some cases, the new wall is replacing a shorter border fence installed in the late 2000s. In other locations, new stretches of wall are being built where previous administrations opted for barriers designed to stop only cars or where the rugged terrain already serves as a natural barrier.
Our latest is on the Trump administration's push to build its border wall where it's easiest to build, meaning in many cases it's putting up wall in places where not many people cross the border and destroying protected land in the meantime https://t.co/hrdMs5Ikij pic.twitter.com/y6LAJqMZYh
— Michelle Hackman (@MHackman) October 23, 2020
Progressives are allying with tribal groups to make religious and environmental arguments against the border wall:
“Wall construction is now happening at the very place we held this ceremony. Groundwater aquifers are being drained and bulldozers are ripping into the earth at the sacred spring.”https://t.co/FoYYLrrY4g
— Maxie Adler (@maxie_adler) October 23, 2020
Critics are also posting much useful information about the wall and border enforcement.
Good resource on border statistics https://t.co/rwDoWyZWQp
— Jenn Budd ✊🏻 (@BuddJenn) October 23, 2020
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