With a massive influx of illegal border crossers, especially children, causing a crisis at the U.S. southern border, President Joe Biden is considering restarting construction on former President Donald Trump’s border wall, which he previously vilified.
As one of the first acts of his presidency, Biden issued an executive order rescinding the national emergency Trump had declared at the border, and halting construction of the border wall, which was being paid for with Department of Defence funds. He also put an end to the “remain in Mexico” policy for migrants.
A historic high of 19,000 unaccompanied children arrived at the southern border in March alone. Thousands of adults are also attempting to travel from Mexico into the U.S.
Conditions are deteriorating, with stories of overcrowding and no room for social distancing.
Now, with border facilities at a breaking point, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told staffers that construction on the wall between the U.S. and Mexico may restart in order to “plug gaps,” reported the Washington Times.
Mayorkas told Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff during a meeting last week that Biden’s stoppage of work on the wall created “room to make decisions” about completing “gaps in the wall,” reported the Washington Times.
Mayorkas said that plans to fortify the border wall could include plugging “gaps,” building “gates,” and upgrading areas ”where the wall has been completed but the technology has not been implemented.”