Trump Administration Resumes Border Wall Construction in Texas and Arizona

Border Wall Construction Resumes

• 🏗️ Construction on the border wall has officially resumed in Texas, with crews installing 18ft steel panels to close gaps left after previous contracts were canceled.
• 💰 A $70 million contract was awarded to Granite Construction company to complete seven miles of border wall along the Rio Grande Valley.

Impact on Cartel Activity

• 🎯 Officials state the new wall aims to help Border Patrol agents stop illegal crossings and slow down cartel smuggling of humans and drugs.
• 🔗 Cartels have historically used open gaps along the border to traffic illicit goods and people; sealing these areas is intended to disrupt criminal networks.

Declining Migrant Encounters

• 📉 New numbers show a dramatic drop in nationwide migrant encounters, from over 81,000 in January to 28,000 in February.
• 📊 In the Rio Grande Valley sector, encounters plummeted from nearly 6,000 to just 1,200, with officials attributing this to increased enforcement and border security measures.

Progress in Other Border States

• 🚧 Similar border wall construction operations are underway in Arizona, particularly in Nogales, a known hotspot for drug smuggling.
• 📈 In Nogales, migrant encounters dropped by a staggering 89% from February 2023 to February 2024, indicating the impact of these reinforcements.
• ⚠️ The Del Rio sector is not currently prioritized for border wall construction due to low numbers of illegal crossings in that area.

Administration's Message

• 📢 DHS Secretary Chris Nyman emphasizes that the administration is enforcing federal law and sending a clear message to cartels and illegal border crossers that they mean business.
• 🤝 The combination of new border wall construction and troop deployments by both the US and Mexico has already disrupted human smuggling operations.