Trump’s Border Wall Belongs to Biden Now
Originally published as "Trump's Border Wall Belongs to Biden Now," The Washington Post, April 11, 2021.
On his first day in office, President Biden halted construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall and directed his administration to study possibilities for repurposing the project’s funding and contracts. Now Biden’s discretionary funding request for Fiscal Year 2022 includes no additional money for border wall construction and proposes canceling leftover wall funds from 2021. On the other hand, his request includes about $1.2 billion for modernizing land ports of entry, improving border security technology and assets and ensuring the safety and humane treatment of migrants in Customs and Border Protection custody.
The Trump administration completed more than 450 miles of 18- to 30-foot steel-bollard fencing topped with anti-climbing plates along stretches of the international boundary. Almost 50 miles of these structures were erected along sections where no border barriers had existed. Over 350 miles replaced less-effective barriers. The rest comprises a second layer of fencing in urban areas.