![]() During a season of increased border crossings, President Biden has announced that he is approving construction of a section of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The new project is going to be paid for out of funds that were previously approved by Congress during the Trump administration. In a statement, Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Homeland Security Department, remarked that the building of the new section represented "no new Administration policy with respect to border walls." On the contrary, continued Mayorkas, "From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer." But Mayorkas also remarked that the Administration's hand was forced in the matter simply because the funding for the project had earlier been approved, requiring that the funds must eventually be spent. In a press conference, Biden said he tried to get Congressional members to rescind the original appropriation, but those members turned down his request. "In the meantime," said Biden, "there's nothing under the law other than they have to use the money for what it was appropriated." According to sources, the new 20-mile wall will go up in Starr County in south Texas in an area that has seen around 245,000 undocumented entries since last October. A notice regarding the project and published in the Federal Registry stated: "There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas." Building a wall along the border was a Trump administration priority. During the former president's four-year term some 450 miles of barriers were built. Upon taking office in January of 2021, Biden issued a proclamation declaring that "no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall." Although no specific date for when work on the new wall will begin, Mayorkas in his official statement also remarked: "This Administration believes that effective border security requires a smarter and more comprehensive approach, including state-of-the-art border surveillance technology and modernized ports of entry." Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has officially called the Texas State Legislature into special session beginning on October 9 with the goal of pushing for several initiatives including "legislation to impede illegal entry into Texas by providing more funding for the construction, operation, and maintenance of border barrier infrastructure." By Garry Boulard
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