Construction Starts on Prototypes of Controversial US-Mexico Border Wall Colombo Gazette
go to original September 27, 2017

Construction starts on models of Mexico border wall (Euronews)

Update: Worker Falls 40ft Down Hole at Mexico Border Wall Prototype Construction Site (metro)

The US government has announced the start of construction on eight prototype barriers for the border with Mexico, a campaign promise of President Donald Trump.

The Customs and Border Protection says four of the prototypes will be made from concrete, while the others are from "alternate or other materials".

With a heavy federal and local law enforcement presence, workers have broken ground in an area surrounded by chain link fencing at Otay Mesa, one of three ports of entry in the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan region.

The prototypes will be up to 30ft high and 30ft long and are expected to be completed within 30 days. Officials will then spend up to three months evaluating the designs for their effectiveness, including gauging their resistance to penetration with small hand tools. Cameras and sensors will be incorporated into the final wall plan.

Each wall will cost up to $450,000 and will be paid for by federal funds which have already been sanctioned. There is, however, no agreement on the initial $1.5bn (£1.11bn) Mr Trump has requested from Congress to start construction of the final wall.

During his campaign, Mr Trump insisted that Mexico would pay for the structure.

Read the rest at MENAFN

Related: Trump Said He'll Pick a Border Wall Design Himself. Turns Out, He Can (Dallas News)

Related: House Republicans Propose $10 Billion for Trump’s Border Wall (Politico)

Related: Crossing the Border Illegally Is Harder Than It’s Been in 50 Years, DHS Report Says (The Daily Caller)

Related: Fact Check: Trump’s Claim That a Wall Will ‘Stop Much of the Drugs from Pouring Into This Country’ (The Washington Post)

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