EcoReporter: Explained – America’s ‘Great’ Wall | Biden carries on Trump’s legacy

In our upcoming EcoReporter segment on ‘Explained: America’s ‘great’ wall | Biden carries on Trump’s legacy’, inspired by ‘Carrying on the legacy of the previous Trump government, the Biden administration on Thursday ‘quietly’ announced plans to make additions to the border walls with Mexico.

This wall, a signature policy of Donald 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”

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 in a proclamation announced that “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall”. He also said there would be as well as a review of all the resources that had already been committed. He had proclaimed that “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, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement said that 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.

Trump claims victory

The Mexico border wall was ex-President Donald 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, the businessman 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 apologize (sic) to me and America for taking so long to get moving, and allowing our country to be flooded with 15 million illegal immigrants, from places unknown,” he asked.

Illegal migrants: A hot burning issue

In the current scenario, 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 Democratically controlled…