By Staff Reporter |
The Trump administration announced its plans for continuing construction of Arizona’s border wall over the weekend.
The continuance of the border wall is the latest in a series of efforts underway by the Trump administration to undo the consequences of former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies.
On Sunday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the agency’s intent to construct seven miles of border wall where none exists along the Arizona border.
“As of today we’re starting seven new miles of construction,” said Noem. “We’re going to continue to make America safe again.”
Former President Joe Biden all but made good on his campaign promise to not build “another foot” of the border wall during his administration.
The Biden administration sold the parts necessary to complete the border wall in secret. The Pentagon took the profits of the sales.
In January, a federal court ruled against the Biden administration over its efforts to sell off as much of the border wall as possible prior to Trump taking office.
Under Biden, there were over 8.8 million southwest border encounters.
Around the time of Trump’s election last November, border encounters began to drop significantly. Encounters dropped 61 percent from November 2023 to last November, 68 percent from December 2023 to last December, and 65 percent from last January to this January.
During Trump’s first month in office (last month), border encounters dropped significantly further, returning to the low five digits.
Border encounters dropped by 93 percent from the February 2024 total, 92 percent from the February 2023 total, 93 percent from the February 2022 total, and 88 percent from the February 2021 total.
Last week, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the “CBP Home” mobile application. The free app allows individuals to “self-deport” by notifying the government of their intent to depart the country. It also enables individuals to check border wait times at legal ports of entry, apply for provisional I-94 entry, request an inspection of agriculture or biological products, and submit a travelers manifest for bus operators.
On Monday, Trump issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to hasten deportations. The proclamation primarily addressed the foreign terrorist organizations Tren de Aragua, declaring the entity to be “undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare” against the nation. The proclamation allowed for the immediate apprehension, detention, and removal of terrorist organization members lacking citizenship, while also allowing Noem to apprehend and remove all other illegal immigrants as well.
“As President of the United States and Commander in Chief, it is my solemn duty to protect the American people from the devastating effects of this invasion,” stated the proclamation.
Trump defended his proclamation to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, doubling down on his characterization of Biden’s border crisis as an “invasion” necessitating wartime measures.
“This is a time of war because Biden allowed millions of people, many of them criminals, many of them at the highest level. Other nations empty their jails into the United States,” he said. “It’s an invasion.”
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