President Joe Biden says he doesn’t believe the border wall with Mexico is effective, but justifies that he can’t avoid strengthening its construction

US President Joe Biden indicated on Thursday that he does not believe that wall built on the border with Mexico effective, but he stated that he cannot prevent it from being strengthened.

During a meeting at the White House with his national security advisers, he noted that the money allocated for the border wall cannot be used for other tasks, despite repeatedly asking Congress to do so.

“I tried to reappropriate it, to divert that money. They didn’t do it. They will not. Meanwhile, the law determines nothing other than the use of the money for its intended purpose. “I can’t stop that,” the Democratic president said a day after his administration ordered a strengthening of the barrier in one of the most frequent areas where illegal migrants cross.

Requested If he thought the wall was effective, Biden simply said no.

Shortly after taking office in January 2021, he pledged that “no more American taxpayer dollars would be spent on building a border wall” and announced a review of all previously committed funds.

The funds allocated to reform the border wall were approved by Congress in 2019, when Biden had not yet arrived in the White House and Republican Donald Trump (2017-2021) was in office.

This was argued by presidential spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre during a press conference The White House cannot further delay this work on the wall with Mexico, and given Congress’s refusal to spend money on other matters, the executive branch must “follow the law.”

The spokesperson declined to confirm whether or not there had been contacts with the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has traditionally been highly critical of the wall.

Stop the illegal passage of migrants

The construction work, which will be carried out in several parts of the Rio Grande Valley, will include the construction of both physical barriers and roads to prevent “the irregular entry” of migrants into the territory of the United States, the document published in the Federal Register. .

This border area, southeast of Texas, is the second area to record the most migrant apprehensions in recent months, according to data from the Customs and Border Control Office (CBP).

Between October 2022 and August this year, US authorities More than 245,000 people have been detained there while trying to cross the border into Mexico.

To implement its reinforcement, which will take place in Starr County, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will grant relief from compliance with more than twenty federal laws, including regulations relating to the protection of the environment, the public health and nature conservation.

Earlier this month, the Government Oversight Office (GAO), a nonpartisan watchdog organization, took notice The wall built on the border with Mexico under the administration of former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021) caused damage to tribal areas and also had a negative impact on the environment. (JO)