Biden signed a sweeping executive order on his first day in office ordering a seven-day halt to all border wall construction, but concerns were raised this week when the border wall program was noted to have “limited construction” underway. On Tuesday (April 6), White House Press Secretary Leonardo Psaki acknowledged that the Biden administration is involved in starting the border wall project started by Trump and that “some limited construction has been funded and appropriated.
On Tuesday, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked Psaki, “How does the reported desire of the secretary of Homeland Security to finish adding to some of the gaps at the southern border relate to President Biden’s executive order to stop border wall construction on his first day in office?”
Psaki seemed to have a bit of a headache with the question, responding with some discomfort that the construction portion of the border wall was on “pause” while “agencies work on a plan for the president to manage federal funds.”
“It is on hold,” Psaki insisted.” There is some limited construction that has been funded and allocated in part (that is being done), but it is on hold.”
“The wall construction is being challenged by multiple lawsuits,” according to Psaki.” For much, shall we say, not all, of the wall, there are serious environmental and safety concerns alleged by the plaintiffs. In this case, the federal agency is continuing on the review track and developing a plan that will be submitted as soon as possible.”
On Monday (April 5), Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas spoke about the administration’s plans in preparing to restart border wall construction, stating, “In specific places, some walls need to be retrofitted. In particular, there are projects that need to go through.”
On the same day, left-wing media outlet The New York Times published an article by columnist Bret Stephens titled “Biden Must Finish the Border Wall or Trump Will Finish Next Term,” which discusses the many tragic cases of migrants dying at the border and calls on the Biden administration to move forward with the wall project.
“If a wall held them [illegal immigrants] back, they wouldn’t have lost their lives,” the New York Times op-ed talks about dissatisfaction with Trump’s tenure, but then writes that “an intact wall should remain a central part of the overall immigration solution” , “It is an imperfect but powerful deterrent. It is a bulwark against sudden future mass immigration surges” and “it must be part of the solution for anyone who wants America to remain a proud nation of immigrants.”
The statement is said to be similar to the recent caliber of the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security.
The border wall policy was one of the major projects under former President Trump that was designed to safeguard the U.S.-Mexico border from an influx of immigrants into the United States. After being sworn in, Biden issued an executive order requiring construction crews to stop building a steel security wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, hitting the “pause” button on the Trump administration’s signature project.
The Biden administration directed private contractors affiliated with the government to “stop construction” and announced a full assessment of the project and an attempt to investigate whether the funds could be allocated elsewhere.
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