It has been announced by the US Department of Defence that they will be cancelling any construction of the wall at the Southern US/Mexico border. US President Joe Biden stated back in January on his first day in office that not “another foot” would be built.
All of the funding that had not yet been used for the construction of the wall at the border will be returned to the military for military construction as well as supporting those working in the military and their families.
What exactly has been declared by the Department of Defence?
Deputy Pentagon spokesman Jamal Brown said in a statement last week that, “Consistent with the president’s proclamation, the Department of Defence is proceeding with cancelling all border barrier construction projects paid for with funds originally intended for other military missions and functions such as schools for military children, overseas military construction projects in partner nations, and the National Guard and Reserve equipment account.”
The money that was not used in the construction of the wall at the border will all go back to the military. It has not yet been confirmed just how much exactly will be returned, but it is likely to be in the billions, which will then be put to use for supporting those in the military as well as resuming deferred military construction projects. There has not been much said in terms of what will happen to the construction of the wall or what has been built of the wall so far. However, Biden has made it clear that no more will ever be built.
What was the wall and how did it come about?
The wall was one of the main points used by the previous US president Donald J. Trump during his 2016 campaign, based upon his opinions on immigration. Many of his rallies before, during, and after 2016 centred around the building of the wall at the Southern US/Mexico border. Back in 2019, Trump declared a national emergency so that it would be easier to gather funds for the project without the funds having to be approved by Congress first.
Overall, the Trump administration was able to oversee over 450 miles of fencing built along the Southern Border before all construction was completely halted indefinitely. Trump has come under fire by lawmakers over the funding of the wall, as it is widely known how the Trump administration diverted more than half of the funds for the construction of the wall from the US defence and Treasury Departments. Those criticising the diversion of funds from the Pentagon believe that doing so created a potential national security threat.
What will happen to what is left of the wall now?
There have been no announcements regarding future proceedings of what has been built of the wall, however, there is a need to deal with the significant environmental impact the construction of the wall so far has had. Notably, during construction large holes were blown into a flood barrier system in Texas and have still not been repaired to this day despite promises to quickly repair any damages done to ensure flooding would not become a problem.
During construction areas near the site have disrupted the local wildlife, destroying habitats for different species and forcing them out of the area. Soil erosion around areas of construction is also another problem to be tackled first alongside flooding. Locals in the areas close to construction sites along the border hope to see a restoration of the environment that has been disturbed by the wall, but most of all they want to know what will happen to the wall in the coming future.
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