Joe Biden said such phrases frequently throughout his 2020 presidential campaign in reference to the building of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. However, the Biden administration on Thursday authorized a proposal to finish a portion of the border wall close to Yuma, Arizona.
As part of the strategy, four significant wall holes that continue to make the Yuma region one of the busiest pathways for illegal immigration crossings will be closed.
The new strategy, initiated by the Trump administration, was approved by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in an effort to implement cutting-edge, efficient border controls and enhance safety and security along the Southwest Border, according to the department.
Although it was originally intended for the Defense Department to pay the project, it will now be funded through the Homeland Security budget for 2021.
Border patrol personnel stopped migrants more than 160,000 times in Yuma’s border sector from January through June of this year, so the problem there is still unresolved for the Biden administration.
The Yuma sector continues to be the busiest migrant sector in the state of Arizona, with the number of migrant stops nearly quadrupling from the previous year.
Only two other sections of the U.S.-Mexico border saw higher traffic: Del Rio and the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
Under previous President Trump, who had parts of the border wall completed or strengthened, the Yuma region was noticeably active. Additionally, a memorial commemorating Trump’s contribution to building the wall was erected at the Yuma border in 2020.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, had urged the president to fortify the border before Biden decided to secure the border wall. Similar requests have been made by Republican legislators.
The tacit support for the wall’s construction from the Biden administration also comes after Biden frequently used it to contrast his policies with those of the Trump administration.
In the past, Biden frequently criticized Trump, his proposed border wall, and his xenophobic and bigoted immigration policies.
