Explained: America's 'great' wall | Biden carries on Trump's legacy

Carrying on the legacy of the previous government of Donald Trump, the Biden administration on Thursday (Oct 5) 'quietly' announced plans to make additions to the border walls with Mexico.

This wall, a signature policy of Trump, has long been a contentious topic of discussion in Washington politics. WION explains everything you need to know about the US wall with Mexico.

"High illegal entry"

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On Thursday, US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a notice in the US Federal Register said that there was "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."

The new section of the Mexico wall, as per AFP, will be built in the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the US-Mexico border, which is a "high illegal entry" area, said Mayorkas. The Rio Grande Valley Sector, as per the US Homeland Security Secretary, has been the location of more than 245,000 illegal entrants this fiscal year.

Biden's stand on the wall

The day he took office in January 2021, Biden announced, "no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall".

He also said there would be a review of all the resources that had already been committed.

He had proclaimed: "Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution."

After 'quietly' announcing the plans for the new addition to the pre-existing wall,Mayorkas said there was "no new Administration policy with respect to border walls. From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer."

He added that the "additional physical barriers" will be funded for using an appropriation made by Congress for the purpose of this wall back in 2019 when Trump was still in office.

"We have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money, but it has not done so, and we are compelled to follow the law," he said.

For the move to go through and the border wall to be extended, some two dozen federal laws such as the Clean Air Act and Endangered Species Act would need to be waived.

Back in May of this year, when the Title 42 law expired, the Biden administration also introduced tough new rule that requires migrants to make an appointment on a government-run smartphone app before approaching a legal port of entry.

Those going against the rule face a tougher bar for asylum if they cross the border illegally.

Trump claims victory

The Mexico border wall was former president Trump's signature policy. His first political campaign for president was known for its rally chant, "Build That Wall."

On Thursday, after the Biden administration's plans were announced, Trump was quick to claim victory and demand an apology.

Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, he said: "As I have stated often, over thousands of years, there are only two things that have consistently worked, wheels and walls!"

He also said that the Biden administration showed "I was right when I built 560 miles... of brand new, beautiful border wall."

"Will Joe Biden apologise to me and America for taking so long to get moving, and allowing our country to be flooded with 15 million illegals immigrants, from places unknown," he asked.

Illegal migrants: A burning issue in US

Illegal immigration has become a major political issue for Biden. Opposition Republicans have repeatedly accused the president of lax border policies.

Republican governors of states near the border say Biden is not doing enough to stop the crossings, and have even transported some arriving migrants to Democrat-controlled cities such as New York and Chicago.

This has now led to some Democratic leaders voicing criticism against Biden.

On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams began a trip to Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador, where he will tell would-be migrants that his city cannot accommodate them and that local shelter systems are overwhelmed, reported Reuters.

As per the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, around 11 million immigrants have entered the US without legal documentation.

These include hundreds and thousands of Venezuelans fleeing economic and political turmoil at home.

To enter the US, they trek through a treacherous jungle region between Colombia and Panama known as the Darien Gap.

This high number of migrants has strained US cities at the border and further north, reports Reuters.

As per the US Department of Justice, there are around two million claims by illegal immigrants looking to extend their stay in the US pending in the immigration court.

(With inputs from agencies)

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