Mexico border wall: Trump reportedly orders aides to seize private land and disregard environmental rules
President Donald Trump is so eager to complete hundreds of miles of border fence ahead of the 2020 presidential election that he has directed aides to fast-track billions of dollars' worth of construction contracts, aggressively seize private land and disregard environmental rules, according to current and former officials involved with the project.
The president has told senior aides that a failure to deliver on the signature promise of his 2016 campaign would be a letdown to his supporters and an embarrassing defeat. Asked for comment, a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Trump is joking when he makes such statements about pardons.
"President Trump is fighting aggressively for the American people where other leaders in the past have rolled over, sold out, and done absolutely nothing," he said. In a meeting at the White House on May 23, Trump ordered the Army Corps and the Department of Homeland Security to paint the structure black, according to internal communications reviewed by The Washington Post.
During a conference call last week, officials at US Customs and Border Protection told Army Corps engineers that the hundreds of miles of fencing must be completed before the next presidential election, according to administration officials with knowledge of the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal communications.
"They don't care how much money is spent, whether landowners' rights are violated, whether the environment is damaged, the law, the regs or even prudent business practices," the senior official said. In June, teams of US soldiers painted a one-mile section of fence in Calexico, California, at a cost of $1 million. The coating, known as"matte black" or"flat black," absorbs heat, making the fence hot to the touch, more slippery and therefore tougher to climb, according to border agents.
CBP has used a pointed design in the past, according to agency officials, either by installing a pyramid-shaped cap or making what the agency refers to as a"miter cut" in the metal. Dan Scavino Jr., the White House social media director, has asked for video footage and photos of equipment digging up the desert and planting the barriers so that administration officials can tweet about it, aides said.
CBP and Pentagon officials insist they remain on track to complete about 450 miles of fencing by the election. Of that, about 110 miles will be added to areas where there is currently no barrier. Martin also said CBP would continue to install anti-climb panels on portions of the barrier already under contract, calling the design"very vital to overall effectiveness."
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