The United States was to begin construction in Texas on Saturday of part of President Donald Trump's border wall designed to curb illegal immigration, which he calls a security threat.
Running along four miles (six kilometers) of the 2,000-mile border with Mexico, the new section will replace existing fencing along the boundary between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, US Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
"This new wall will be far more durable and far more effective in deterring would-be illegal entrants," Aaron Hull, Chief Patrol Agent in the El Paso sector, said in the statement.
It said the existing fencing will be replaced by an 18-foot (5.4 meter) steel post barrier which allows Border Patrol agents to see through to the other side.
The $22-million project is to be completed in about seven months.
In April, the Border Patrol announced the start of construction of a 20-mile stretch of wall to replace an existing barrier in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
Much of the border already has fencing or other barriers, but Trump has ordered a "contiguous, and impassable physical barrier," which scientists say would threaten more than 1,000 species of animals.
Congress has so far approved $1.6 billion of $25 billion Trump had sought for his wall.
Rats and coyotes, but no one wants those around either!
Kevin Gray
Off course, biological adaptability would never be taken into account. All change hurts. Bring it on!
Nicholas Smith
*of course
Brandon Foster
Legal immigration is not so much the problem, its the ones who flood over here unvetted and who start stealing jobs away or sponging off the tax-funded welfare system. If they go through all the hassle to become a citizen I really could care less, but they should be mandated to learn English.
Daniel Lee
$22 million to build a 4 mile section that will take 7 months…..
and this is NOT part of 'trumps wall'
…..this is a tiny section of existing wall….
this replacement section has been scheduled to be constructed for almost 6 years….. Obama was in office when they completed the invoice on this contract….
nice try
but you're a liar
Camden Carter
at $5.5 million per mile, it will cost $10,978,000,000.00 and take over 40 years to complete the remaining 1996 miles
