Biden administration moves to restart construction of border wall in Texas despite saying wall doesn't work
President Joe Biden and his Homeland Security secretary are contradicting each other on whether a border wall helps deter illegal immigration.
In a filing late Wednesday, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas waived 26 federal laws to expedite re-starting construction on former President Donald Trump's border wall in Starr County, on the Texas/Mexico border.
He wrote there was "an acute and immediate need" for the project.
But then President Biden and administration officials spent Thursday saying the wall doesn’t work, claiming they had to take these steps because of the law.
And this came as top U.S. officials met with their Mexican counterparts to discuss the border.
There, Mayorkas sought to clarify the administration’s position, but without addressing some big questions.
The sun sets behind a gap along the border wall at the Morelos Dam between the US and Mexico in Yuma, Arizona on May 31, 2022. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
"There will not be another foot of wall constructed in my administration," Biden said before being elected president.
Despite his comments on the campaign trail, the Biden Administration took steps Wednesday to pave the way for some border wall construction.
In a filing, announcing the waiver of 26 federal laws, Secretary Mayorkas wrote there "…is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers."
It would apply specifically to the area in and around Starr County, west of McAllen.
Despite the action, the President stood by his original position early Thursday.
[REPORTER: "Do you believe the border wall works?"]
"No," Biden said.
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The White House said the funds were set aside for the border wall in 2019 during the Trump Administration.
Officials said they could not get Congress to re-direct the money elsewhere and claim they were bound by law to move forward.
But they avoided questions as to why now, why not continue to delay, and why Mayorkas said a barrier is necessary.
[REPORTER: "Is there a deadline in the law? Or why is it that this has to be used up right now because you have been not, thus far, using these funds?"]
"Because the answer right there is we asked Congress, over and over again, the President said this, to re-appropriate the funds, they said no," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered.
Coincidentally, top U.S. officials, including Mayorkas, met with Mexican counterparts about the border Thursday.
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Mayorkas claimed he was taken out of context.
"I want to address today’s reporting on a border wall and be absolutely clear, there is no new administration policy with respect to a border wall," Mayorkas said.
But not every Democrat blasted the prospect of a border wall.
Congressman Colin Allred, who hopes to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, wrote: "This is a necessary step to help Texas’ overwhelmed border communities deal with this current surge of migrants. I have long said that targeted physical barriers have a role to play in securing our border at high traffic areas, but this is only a partial solution."
Sen. Cruz did an interview with FOX 4 Thursday, in which he said he’s skeptical any federal wall construction will happen.
"It is ironic for them to suddenly be saying, "build the wall." I mean, it is kind of a little jarring, but I’ll be honest with you, I don’t believe it," Cruz said.