Amid brewing impeachment, Trump visits legacy border wall

United States President Donald Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday just a week before he is due to leave office to tout what he views as one of his biggest accomplishments: the partial construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mr. Trump visited the wall in Alamo, Texas, a town in the state’s Rio Grande Valley. It is distinct from the site of the Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal Texan loss in the Texas Revolution, which was later used by some Texans to invoke a battle cry. The White House denied any symbolism in Mr. Trump’s choice of destination.

Why visit the border now?

White House spokesman Judd Deere said the visit would mark Mr. Trump’s “completion of more than 400 miles of border wall – a promise made, promise kept – and his Administration’s efforts to reform our broken immigration system.”

The 400 miles completed include a significant amount of wall construction in places where previous administrations had already built structures.

It represents arguably the most concrete legacy of Mr. Trump’s four-year administration and his overhaul of the U.S. immigration system, including a crackdown on migrants crossing the southern border.

In his 2016 presidential run, Mr. Trump had originally vowed to build a “big, beautiful wall” on the U.S.-Mexico border that would be 1,000 miles long. He also promised that Mexico would pay for its construction. Funding has come from the U.S.

How much has been built in total?

As of Jan. 8, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the Trump administration had completed 453 miles of border barrier overall.

Much of it replaces barriers that had been put in place by previous administrations, with only 80 miles of primary and secondary barrier in areas where there were previously no structures, according to CBP.

Who paid?

Mr. Trump claimed throughout his 2020 election campaign that Mexico was paying for the wall, but in fact, the U.S. government has footed the bill. About $15 billion in funding has come from the Department of Homeland Security, as well as from the Defense and Treasury Departments.

What will the Biden administration do?

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to halt construction and focus more on technology to secure the border. He said in August that “not another foot of wall” would be built under his administration and that he would drop government lawsuits to seize land for border construction.

It is not entirely clear what Mr. Biden’s administration will do with contracts for wall construction that have already been awarded but have yet to be completed, or how it will deal with land that has already been condemned.

The Trump administration has filed dozens of lawsuits to seize land in Texas since Election Day as it scrambles to move forward with wall construction. It has also sped up construction on public lands where opponents say mountainous rough natural terrain already acted as an effective barrier.

Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who sits on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, is among those pushing for remediation for environmental damage caused by wall construction. He also wants potential reparations for people whose land was condemned for wall construction under Mr. Trump. 

This story was reported by Reuters.