The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is expanding border wall construction in California after announcing last month construction was beginning in Texas.
Under the Biden administration, record numbers of illegal foreign nationals poured into California and Texas, with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection San Diego Sector becoming an epicenter of illegal entry and crime, The Center Square first reported.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued a waiver to enable the immediate construction of approximately 2.5 miles of new border wall barrier in California.
The waiver was issued under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. It addresses environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, “that can stall vital projects for months or even years. This waiver clears the path for the rapid deployment of physical barriers where they are needed most, reinforcing our commitment to national security and the rule of law,” DHS said.
It includes projects previously identified in the CBP San Diego Sector and already funded through CBP fiscal 2020 and 2021 appropriations.
They include the San Diego Sector’s two-mile Jacumba Gap Wall Project; its 350-feet Smugglers Gulch Wall Project; and its 1,500-feet 4 Wall Project.
