Department of Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says there is an “acute and immediate need” to waive dozens of federal laws in order to build a border barrier in south Texas.
It is a sharp contrast from the early days of the Joe Biden administration when it was thought a wall between the US and Mexico was not needed. According to Fox News, the agency posted an announcement on the Federal Register that outline construction in Starr County and the Rio Grande Valley Sector, where it says there is “high illegal entry”.
The DHS says there have been over 245,000 migrant encounters in the current financial year. Mayorkas says he is using authority provided by Congress to waive 26 laws.
He said: “There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas pursuant to sections 102(a) and 102(b) of [the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996].”
Plans to build a new border wall were halted in early 2021. It came after Joe Biden promised as a presidential candidate that there would “not be another foot of wall constructed” during his administration.
The administration said wall construction under Donald Trump was “just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way.” Construction is however funded by the 2019 DHS budget, which was specifically allocated to pay for wall projects.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans for up to 20 miles of wall in the Rio Grande Valley Sector back in June. The Biden administration has previously made moves to close gaps and replace gates.
It says these projects prioritise “life, safety, and operational risks”. This includes looking after the welfare of both Border Patrol agents and migrants.
The CBP says projects announced in June would cover 17 miles in Starr County. A spokesman told Fox it was “committed to protecting the nation’s cultural and natural resources and will implement sound environmental practices as part of the project covered by this waiver.”
The Biden administration is facing a fresh surge in illegal immigration, which has resulted in criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. It is thought there were 260,000 encounters with immigrants at the border in September – the highest record.
Republicans blame the issue on the Biden administration. They have criticised the decision to sell off some border wall materials and to sue Texas over its decision to build a border in the Rio Grande.
The Trump campaign told Fox: “President Trump is always right. That’s why he built close to 500 miles of powerful new wall on the border, and it would have been finished by now.”
The administration has however said Congress needs to provide more funding to fix a “broken” system. It is though facing calls from more liberal states for help.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said: “We want them to have a limit on who can come across the border. It is too open right now.”
