The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expanding border wall construction into California, following last month’s announcement that building had resumed in Texas. During the Biden administration, record levels of illegal border crossings were reported in both California and Texas, with the San Diego Sector becoming a hotspot for unlawful entry and related criminal activity, as first reported by The Center Square.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has issued a waiver to allow for the immediate construction of approximately 2.5 miles of new border barrier in California. The waiver was issued under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. It addresses environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, “that can stall vital projects for months or even years. This waiver clears the path for the rapid deployment of physical barriers where they are needed most, reinforcing our commitment to national security and the rule of law,” DHS said.
The expansion includes projects previously designated within the CBP San Diego Sector and funded through the agency’s fiscal year 2020 and 2021 appropriations. These projects include the two-mile Jacumba Gap Wall Project, the 350-foot Smugglers Gulch Wall Project, and the 1,500-foot 4 Wall Project. “Together, these projects will close critical gaps in the border barrier and enhance border security operations in the San Diego Sector,” DHS noted further.
Border wall construction and repairs in California continued under the Biden administration, despite President Joe Biden’s 2021 pledge that not “another foot” of the wall would be built. On his first day in office, Biden ordered a halt to all border wall construction along the southwest border. According to The Center Square, this pause cost taxpayers $6 million per day—and later $3 million per day—due to ongoing contractual obligations with the construction firms.
Materials already purchased for the project were left unused, rusting on the ground. Biden also redirected $2.2 billion in previously allocated border wall funds back to the Department of Defense, which used the money to support 66 border security projects across 16 countries, three U.S. territories, and 11 U.S. states, The Center Square reported.