President Donald Trump’s new border wall stops 90% of illegal border crossings, as opposed to the 10% that the previous fencing stopped.
131 New Miles of Border Wall Completed
Around 131 miles of new border wall has been completed, with another 208 miles under construction, and 414 miles in a pre-construction stage. Chief Rodney Scott of US Border Patrol, said the new border “wall system” was 90% effective against stopping illegal crossings, an increase of 80% from before, where only broken fencing was in place.
Border Wall System update:
▫️ 131 miles completed
▫️ 208 miles under construction
▫️ 414 miles in pre-construction pic.twitter.com/QdZVAdWRrj— Chief Rodney Scott (@USBPChief) March 2, 2020
“It changes everything,” said Scott, adding that “there is a huge return on investment.”
Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz agreed, saying that the system will have a “huge impact” on illegal border crossings. The wall is especially effective at stopping mass crossings in vehicles, as to remove various sections of the wall big enough to get them through takes far too much time and effort for it to be worthwhile for criminal gangs to bother.
“The border wall system all but stopped that completely,” Scott said.
“It shut down that entire threat. Anywhere we built the border wall system, the first thing it does is shut off those drive-throughs,” he explained. “The second thing is, it shuts off massive amounts of people coming through at the same time. So, it’s forced the drug cartels, especially El Chapo’s group, Sinaloa, to shift tactics.”
Cartels are now attempting to build expensive tunnels or smuggling drugs through normal border crossings, which aren’t effective, according to the Border Patrol Chief.
Money Being Saved in All Areas
The Border Patrol is also saving vast amounts of money with the border wall. Around 150 fewer agents are needed to police the border, which saves approximately $28 million in salaries and benefits, and with the new border roads, vehicles that previously ran for 40,000-60,000 miles before being auctioned off, can now run up to 100,000 miles.
RELATED: Trump Administration Waiving Federal Contract Laws for Border Wall
This whole thing is a win for the American taxpayer! Not only are dangerous illegal aliens prevented from gaining access to the country, but their hard-earned tax dollars are now spent with even more efficiency than before in protecting this nation. Thank you, President Trump, for ensuring this wall, and hundreds more miles of it, are being built!