Latest news with #borderwall
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Border wall construction surges ahead as illegal crossings plummet to historic lows
Arizona and Texas are expected to have more of the border wall constructed following recent actions from the federal government. In the Grand Canyon State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection gave Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. over $300 million to build 27 miles of the wall in the Tucson Sector, which was a hotbed of illegal crossings during the Biden administration. The contractor was used throughout Trump's first term in office. Specifically, the development will be in Santa Cruz County – a largely rural county that includes Nogales, and the funds were already allocated in the CBP's 2021 budget, according to CBP. While Biden was in office, many border wall contracts were scrapped, leading to materials left sitting at the border, including in the Tucson Sector. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has taken multiple steps to speed up border wall construction in areas where there are gaps in Arizona, California, and Texas, mostly through granting environmental waivers to avoid "administrative delays." The Wednesday announcement noted that a fifth waiver was signed off by the secretary, which will be used for 17 miles of wall in Texas's Rio Grande Valley Sector. Earlier this month, DHS cleared the way for 36 miles in wall development in Arizona and New Mexico, including in the Tucson, El Paso, and Yuma Sectors. In addition, the Golden State is also expected to have further wall construction with environmental waivers being cleared earlier this year. "We applaud President Trump's commitment to border security, and we look forward to the completion of the wall across the entire southern border," Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines said at the time. "The border crisis is not yet over, and our federal government must continue to equip the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents with the tools, technologies, and resources necessary to provide adequate national security to keep America safe," Lines continued. Opponents of wall construction have long cited environmental concerns, such as a risk to wildlife. Blue states, as well as advocacy groups like the Sierra Club and the American Civil Liberties Union, have sued the federal government in the recent past over the wall. Meanwhile, the southern border has been quiet since President Donald Trump took office in January. In May, zero individuals who crossed illegally were released into the U.S. interior, compared with 62,000 last year, according to CBP. Migrant encounters have also taken a significant tumble, with just under 9,000 encounters last month compared with nearly 118,000 last year. "Under the leadership of this administration, CBP has received historic support resulting in another 93% decrease in illegal crossings along the southwest border this month when compared with last year," Pete Flores, Acting Commissioner of CBP, said in a statement. "Border numbers continue to trend at historic lows, reinforcing the sustained success of our enforcement efforts in securing the homeland and protecting American communities."
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Texas spent $3 billion to build 65 miles of border wall. The state has now stopped the failed project
Texas lawmakers have stopped funding a border wall project four years after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the state would be the first to build its own barrier. As it stands, only a small fraction of the Texas-Mexico border now has a wall. The decision to stop funding the project came in the last few hours of this year's legislative session, The Texas Tribune reported. The future of the project remains uncertain, as Texas officials have suggested that the federal government could restart the project; however, it's unclear whether this will actually occur. During President Donald Trump's first stint in the White House, his administration built about a third — 21 miles — of what the state was able to build in the same amount of time. Only eight percent of the 805 miles that the state has identified for construction are finished, costing taxpayers more than $3 billion. The 30-foot-high wall costs roughly $28 million per mile to construct. The wall has plenty of gaps that the migrants and smugglers can walk around, and it's mostly concentrated on ranches in rural areas, where unlawful crossings are less likely to take place, The Tribune noted last year. Similarly, the paper found last year that the wall would take roughly 30 years and more than $20 billion to finish. Lawmakers finished the state budget earlier this month, allocating $3.4 billion for border security. The budget lead writer, Houston Republican State Sen. Joan Huffman, told The Tribune on Thursday that none of that funding will be for the wall. The money will primarily go to the Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, which are responsible for apprehending migrants. 'It's not that we don't think it's an ongoing need to secure the border,' Huffman told The Tribune. 'It should have always been a function of the federal government, in my opinion, and that wasn't really being done.' The governor's spokesperson told the paper that the Trump administration's efforts to secure the southern border have allowed Texas to revise its own work. 'Texas will continue to maintain a robust presence with our federal partners to arrest, jail, and deport illegal immigrants,' the spokesperson said. The state has built 65 miles of wall. Parts of the border are naturally difficult to cross, or they already have a federal wall or fence in place. Republicans in charge of the legislature defunded the wall without holding any public debate on the issue. While the state agency in charge of constructing the wall, the Texas Facilities Commission, said in January that its goal was to build at least 100 miles of wall before the end of next year, it currently doesn't have the funds to do so. The project manager of the wall program stated in April that out of the $3 billion in funding from preceding years, only enough funding remained to finish 83 miles of wall. State officials have said that segments under construction will continue being built, but no new projects will be started. Border security experts noted to The Tribune that the wall segments appeared to be being built where the state was able to acquire land rather than where it would be most effective, due to resistance from landowners to having wall segments constructed on their property. Most of the segments have been built on ranches in rural areas. In contrast, experts have stated that the wall would be most useful in urban areas, where individuals crossing unlawfully can easily enter vehicles or buildings. Twenty-four percent of property owners that the state approached rejected having wall built on their land, as of March, making up 41 miles of wall space that the state wanted to get hold of.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Texas stops providing new funding for border wall construction
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has stopped putting new money toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, shifting course after installing only a fraction of the hundreds of miles of potential barrier that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott set out to construct four years ago . State lawmakers this month approved a new Texas budget that does not include continued funding for the wall, which had been a multibillion-dollar priority for Abbott as part of a sprawling immigration crackdown. He even took the unusual step of soliciting private donations for construction, saying in 2021 that many Americans wanted to help.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Texas stops providing new funding for border wall construction
Texas has stopped putting new money toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, shifting course after installing only a fraction of the hundreds of miles of potential barrier that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott set out to construct four years ago. State lawmakers this month approved a new Texas budget that does not include continued funding for the wall, which had been a multibillion-dollar priority for Abbott as part of a sprawling immigration crackdown. He even took the unusual step of soliciting private donations for construction, saying in 2021 that many Americans wanted to help. On Tuesday, Abbott's office said President Donald Trump 's aggressive efforts to curb immigration allowed the state to adjust. The halt in funding was first reported by The Texas Tribune. 'Thanks to President Trump's bold leadership, the federal government is finally fulfilling its obligation to secure the southern border and deport criminal illegal immigrants," Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said. 'Because of these renewed federal assets in Texas, our state can now adjust aspects of state-funded border security efforts.' The state has completed 65 miles (104 kilometers) of border wall since construction began. The Texas border with Mexico is roughly 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers). The wall has gone up at a slow pace as the state has navigated the drawn-out process of buying private land and confronting local opposition in some places. Abbott announced plans for the wall at a time when large numbers of migrants were showing up at the border, saying in 2021 that he believed a combination of state-owned land and volunteered private property would "yield hundreds of miles to build a border wall.' The number of migrant crossings has fallen dramatically this year. 'There was no need for it in the first place,' said Scott Nicol, a board member for Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a habitat preservation group in the Rio Grande Valley. He has criticized the wall as ineffective. "The only thing that's changed is the political dynamic,' he said. The new budget approved by Texas lawmakers allocates about $3.4 billion for border security for two years. That amount will not be used to build out new projects for the wall and instead go to the Texas Department of Safety and the Texas National Guard, the main agencies responsible for Operation Lone Star, Abbott's key immigration program launched in 2021 during the Biden administration. The money allocated for border security is nearly half the $6.5 billion that was dedicated to immigration efforts the last time lawmakers earmarked the state budget two years ago. Funds previously allocated for the wall will allow work on it to continue through 2026 and 'will set the federal government up for success,' said Republican Sen. Joan Huffman, the lead budget writer in the state Senate. The agency responsible for constructing the wall has about $2.5 billion remaining in funding to cover up to 85 additional miles (85 additional kilometers) of the wall by 2026, according to a statement made in April by Texas Facilities Commission executive director Mike Novak, whose agency is overseeing construction of the project. 'This wall should have never been built, it's useless,' said Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network. "It divides our community.' ___
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Texas stops providing new funding for border wall construction
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas has stopped putting new money toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, shifting course after installing only a fraction of the hundreds of miles of potential barrier that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott set out to construct four years ago. State lawmakers this month approved a new Texas budget that does not include continued funding for the wall, which had been a multibillion-dollar priority for Abbott as part of a sprawling immigration crackdown. He even took the unusual step of soliciting private donations for construction, saying in 2021 that many Americans wanted to help. On Tuesday, Abbott's office said President Donald Trump's aggressive efforts to curb immigration allowed the state to adjust. The halt in funding was first reported by The Texas Tribune. 'Thanks to President Trump's bold leadership, the federal government is finally fulfilling its obligation to secure the southern border and deport criminal illegal immigrants,' Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said. 'Because of these renewed federal assets in Texas, our state can now adjust aspects of state-funded border security efforts.' The state has completed 65 miles (104 kilometers) of border wall since construction began. The Texas border with Mexico is roughly 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers). The wall has gone up at a slow pace as the state has navigated the drawn-out process of buying private land and confronting local opposition in some places. Abbott announced plans for the wall at a time when large numbers of migrants were showing up at the border, saying in 2021 that he believed a combination of state-owned land and volunteered private property would 'yield hundreds of miles to build a border wall.' The number of migrant crossings has fallen dramatically this year. 'There was no need for it in the first place,' said Scott Nicol, a board member for Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a habitat preservation group in the Rio Grande Valley. He has criticized the wall as ineffective. 'The only thing that's changed is the political dynamic,' he said. The new budget approved by Texas lawmakers allocates about $3.4 billion for border security for two years. That amount will not be used to build out new projects for the wall and instead go to the Texas Department of Safety and the Texas National Guard, the main agencies responsible for Operation Lone Star, Abbott's key immigration program launched in 2021 during the Biden administration. The money allocated for border security is nearly half the $6.5 billion that was dedicated to immigration efforts the last time lawmakers earmarked the state budget two years ago. Funds previously allocated for the wall will allow work on it to continue through 2026 and 'will set the federal government up for success,' said Republican Sen. Joan Huffman, the lead budget writer in the state Senate. The agency responsible for constructing the wall has about $2.5 billion remaining in funding to cover up to 85 additional miles (85 additional kilometers) of the wall by 2026, according to a statement made in April by Texas Facilities Commission executive director Mike Novak, whose agency is overseeing construction of the project. 'This wall should have never been built, it's useless,' said Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network. 'It divides our community.' ___ Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
