Biden Administration to Resume Border Wall Construction in Policy Reversal

When he was campaigning for president, Joe Biden pledged that “not another foot” of border wall would be built on his watch. But this week, his administration announced plans to do just that.

In a public notice posted Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security outlined its intent to build up to 20 new miles of Trump administration-era border barriers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, one of the busiest crossing spots for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. 

The decision comes as Republicans nearly shut down the federal government over new border-security measures, including resuming construction of former President Donald Trump’s wall project.

“There is presently 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 into the United States in the project areas,” the notice reads. It added that the administration will waive federal, state and local laws that protect water, air and endangered species to speed up the construction.