Photo: Alamy
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is adding new panels to the wall along the southern border to fill in gaps in New Mexico left by the Biden administration.
Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted pictures of the new operation on X alongside a quote concerning the new effort.
“USBP actively strengthens border security by refining strategies to deliver effective impedance and denial capabilities, addressing illegal cross-border activity head-on. Efforts like installing wall panels to fill critical gaps in Deming, New Mexico, exemplify our commitment to enhancing infrastructure and operational effectiveness,” Banks wrote.
“Agents drive these solutions by leveraging advanced technology and their ingenuity to adapt to evolving challenges, ensuring a more secure and managed border,” he added.
Gap along the southern border in New Mexico led Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to order the construction of additional barriers along the state’s border with New Mexico in 2023.
“Our barriers around El Paso forced the migrants crossing illegally to enter into New Mexico. They then entered into El Paso from there. To end that, we are building a barrier on the New Mexico border,” Abbott wrote at the time.
Last week, New Mexico’s state legislature introduced a bill to finish the border barrier between the state and Mexico at an expected cost of $$1.5 billion.
“Right now there are 50.3 open miles of border wall, and with that problem, we have with fentanyl trafficking, human smuggling, human trafficking and exploitation of these migrants, we want to make sure there is a safe journey to America,” New Mexico state Republican Rep. John Block said.
Trump signed an executive order called “Securing Our Borders” on his first day in office that reauthorized the construction of a barrier along the southern border.
“A nation without borders is not a nation, and the Federal Government must act with urgency and strength to end the threats posed by an unsecured border,” Trump’s order stated.
“One of my most important obligations is to protect the American people from the disastrous effects of unlawful mass migration and resettlement,” it continued. “My Administration will marshal all available resources and authorities to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States.”