On Tuesday, the White House said that limited additional wall construction has been funded, in spite of an overall pause in construction. The move came after a report that the head of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) had said gaps in the wall could still be filled. On Tuesday, the press secretary of White House, Jen Psaki said, “Wall construction remains paused to the extent permitted by law. So some has already been funded through congressional authorization and funding allocation”. She was asked about a Washington Times report that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas informed the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) employees that while money for the wall had been stopped, it leaves room to make decisions on finishing gaps in the wall.
The DHS Secretary reportedly said, “The president has communicated quite clearly his decision that the emergency that triggered the devotion of DOD funds to the construction of the border wall is ended. But that leaves room to make decisions as to the administration, as part of the administration, in particular areas of the wall that need renovation, particular projects that need to be finished”. Point to be noted that President Biden issued an executive order during his first week in office. The order immediately pauses the construction of the wall that started during the Trump administration. Biden then said, “Like every nation, the United States has a right and a duty to secure its borders and protect its people against threats”.
President Biden also said, “But building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution. It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security”. The US CBP (Customs and Border Protection) also confirmed that wall construction had been suspended. Biden had also ordered assessments of the legality of funding, contracting methods, and consequences of stopping the project. On Tuesday, Psaki said, “Federal agencies are continuing to review wall contracts and develop a plan to submit to the president soon. It is paused. There is some limited construction that has been funded and allocated for, but it is otherwise paused”. It is noteworthy that at least 450 miles of the wall constructed under the Trump administration, with another 350 were reportedly funded.