The president of the United States, Joe Biden, responded to criticism of his decision to continue the construction of his predecessor’s wall along his country’s border with Mexico by saying that he should “use the funds allocated by law.”
“When the money was allocated for the border wall, I tried to get them to reappropriate it to redirect that money. They didn’t do it,” he told reporters in the Oval Office as he prepared to talk in a closed-door meeting with his security team. national to address the Ukraine issue.
“On the other hand, the law does not establish anything except to use the money for what it is allocated. I cannot prevent it,” he said.
Asked if he thought the wall would work, Biden simply said, “No.”
The construction, announced in June, marks a 180-degree turn in policy for President Joe Biden, who promised in his 2020 presidential campaign that “not one more foot of the wall” would be built.
But the increasing number of undocumented immigrants from Mexico across the state of Texas led his administration to take action.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday night that it will waive 26 federal laws to continue construction of the Rio Grande Valley wall and build reinforced fences, barriers, roads, lights, cameras, and sensors on the southwest border.
DHS said the Rio Grande Valley has seen an influx of nearly 250,000 immigrants in the past two months.
“He US Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector: “This is a ‘high illegal entry’ area,” US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
“As of early August 2023, the Border Patrol has encountered more than 245,000 people trying to enter the United States between ports of entry in the Rio Grande Valley.”
