John Darwin Kurc
All along the US-Mexico border, the machines are silent. On January 20, President Joe Biden gave workers seven days to wind down construction on President Donald Trump’s signature project, the border wall…That work has paused while the Biden administration reviews all contracts and the costs of “terminating or repurposing” them…
Toward the end of Trump’s term, contractors rushed to tackle arduous terrain, carving access roads and blasting staging areas into areas that campaigners said would never actually be completed…
Massive staging areas and rough access roads — built to service the vehicles and construction workers in what had been pristine wilderness — are empty or are parking lots for machinery…
Oh…here’s a completed segment of the wall…a leftover parking lot…and while the photographer set-up to take this drone shot, 4 migrants easily climbed over the wall and proceeded on their way into the U.S. along the road thoughtfully provided by Trump.
‘Witnesses of history’: the man who kept slabs of the Berlin Wall https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/08/witnesses-of-history-the-man-who-kept-slabs-of-the-berlin-wall Scroll down for related stories
As of December 9, 2020: “Trump Spent $15 Billion On Border Wall But Skimped On Vaccines” (Forbes) https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2020/12/09/trump-spent-15-billion-on-border-wall-but-skimped-on-vaccines/?sh=56e37bd36a9d
President Biden informed Congress on Thursday that he has rescinded Trump’s 2019 national emergency declaration that redirected billions in order to fund construction of the former president’s beloved border wall with Mexico.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the president said Trump’s declaration was unnecessary and the taxpayer dollars it diverted will no longer be allocated to fund the wall. Biden also promised a review of “all resources appropriated or redirected” to building the wall.
“I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border was unwarranted,” Biden wrote in the letter. “I have also announced that it shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall, and that I am directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end.” https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/biden-ends-taxpayer-funding-trump-wall-1127149/
President Joe Biden is canceling further construction of the wall along the U.S. and Mexico border, the Department of Defense announced Friday.
“DoD has begun taking all necessary actions to cancel border barrier projects and to coordinate with interagency partners,” Pentagon spokesperson Jamal Brown said in a statement. “Today’s action reflects this Administration’s continued commitment to defending our nation and supporting our service members and their families.” https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/30/biden-terminates-border-wall-construction-485123
The United Nations UNESCO committee is calling on the Biden administration to work with Mexico to repair damage done to the Sonoran Desert where that country’s border meets with protected Arizona land.
UNESCO argues that at stake is Sonora Mexico’s El Pinacate, a massive biosphere preserve located just south of Arizona’s border that abuts Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
The resolution calls on the U.S. to stop building the border wall, which it has. And to work with Mexico to mitigate damage done to the biosphere because of it.
The resolution also argues that the border wall damages the historical migration routes of the Tohono O’odham tribe, whose members live on both sides of the border. https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1701886/un-committee-calls-us-help-fix-border-wall-damage-mexico
UNESCO’s call to end US border wall aims to save species from extinction
Trump administration’s construction has left flora and fauna in both countries in danger https://mexiconewsdaily.com/opinion/call-to-end-border-wall-aims-to-save-species/
Trump’s Border Wall Torn Apart by Arizona Monsoon Rains https://gizmodo.com/trumps-border-wall-torn-apart-by-arizona-monsoon-rains-1847535174
“It turns out ignoring bedrock environmental laws may not have been the best choice for a multibillion-dollar construction project. Photos show former President Donald Trump’s border wall in deep disrepair after summer monsoon rains literally blew floodgates off their hinges.
Who could have predicted this? Ah yes, just about everyone.” (see https://gizmodo.com/if-trump-wants-his-racist-border-wall-hell-have-to-sta-1841383594 )
The Washington Examiner reported a few months ago that House Republicans intends to “revive the now-stalled construction of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border” as a top 2022 campaign issue. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/impenetrable-border-wall-damaged-monsoon-rains-arizona-n1277529
7AM MDT, tomorrow morning, 25th