Biden administration waives 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction in South Texas | AP News
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By VALERIE GONZALEZ Share Share
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Biden administration announced they waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration's first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency.
The Department of Homeland Security posted the announcement on the U.S. Federal Registry with few details outlining the construction in Starr County, Texas, which is part of a busy Border Patrol sector seeing "high illegal entry." According to government data, about 245,000 illegal entries have been recorded in this region during the current fiscal year.
"There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," Alejandro Mayorkas, the DHS secretary, stated in the notice.
The Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act were some of the federal laws waived by DHS to make way for construction that will use funds from a congressional appropriation in 2019 for border wall construction. The waivers avoid time-consuming reviews and lawsuits challenging violation of environmental laws.
Starr County's hilly ranchlands, sitting between Zapata and McAllen, Texas, is home to about 65,000 residents sparsely populating about 1,200 square miles (3,108 square kilometers) that form part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
Although no maps were provided in the announcement, a previous map shared during the gathering of public comments shows the piecemeal construction will add up to an additional 20 miles to the existing border barrier system in the area. Starr County Judge Eloy Vera said it will start south of the Falcon Dam and go past Salineno, Texas.
"The other concern that we have is that area is highly erosive. There's a lot of arroyos," Eloy Vera, the county judge said, pointing out the creeks cutting through the ranchland and leading into the river.
Concern is shared with environmental advocates who say structures will run through public lands, habitats of endangered plants and species like the Ocelot, a spotted wild cat.
"A plan to build a wall through will bulldoze an impermeable barrier straight through the heart of that habitat. It will stop wildlife migrations dead in their tracks. It will destroy a huge amount of wildlife refuge land. And it's a horrific step backwards for the borderlands," Laiken Jordahl, a southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, said Wednesday afternoon.
During the Trump administration, about 450 miles of barriers were built along the southwest border between 2017 and January 2021. Texas Governor Greg Abbott renewed those efforts after the Biden administration halted them at the start of his presidency.
The DHS decision on Wednesday contrasts the Biden administration's posturing when a proclamation to end the construction on Jan. 20, 2021 stated, "building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection had no immediate comment.
The announcement prompted political debate by the Democratic administration facing an increase of migrants entering through the southern border in recent months, including thousands who entered the U.S. through Eagle Pass at the end of September.
"A border wall is a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem. It will not bolster border security in Starr County," U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar said in a statement. "I continue to stand against the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars on an ineffective border wall."
Political proponents of the border wall said the waivers should be used as a launching pad for a shift in policy.
"After years of denying that a border wall and other physical barriers are effective, the DHS announcement represents a sea change in the administration's thinking: A secure wall is an effective tool for maintaining control of our borders," Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said in a statement. "Having made that concession, the administration needs to immediately begin construction of wall across the border to prevent the illegal traffic from simply moving to other areas of the border."
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Come on, Joe, get your shit together!
If walls don't work, why is Biden NOW finally going to build a wall? You can't have it both ways.
Looks very hypocritical.
Is it because even some notable Democrats have finally wakened to the fact that you simply have no clue whatsoever what to do?
I wonder how many Democrats---vehemently opposed to any wall---will smile, nod, and continue to vote for failed policies?
Even when they do what you want you still complain...
Democrats didn't just oppose the wall, they called anyone who thought it was a common sense solution to a problem a racist, xenophobe etc. Where's the acknowledgment?
Or are democrats unwarranted cries of racism so trite and overused that everyone now understands that its a meaningless word when democrats use it? Have they demeaned the word so much that its silly to be bothered by accusations of it?
Supposedly it took them all this time to learn what Donald Trump told them 6 years ago:
"DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is citing an "acute and immediate need" to waive dozens of federal laws in order to build a border wall in south Texas where illegal migration has surged, a sharp contrast to dismissals of the use of such barriers in the early days of the administration."
Mayorkas cites ‘immediate need’ to waive regulations, build border wall in Texas as immigration surges (msn.com)
I'm pretty sure your feelings weren't hurt. I'm also pretty sure you are overstating the claim. This announcement isn't about building a complete wall across the whole border either. There hasn't been much in a change of policy from Trump to Biden as I've pointed out many times. This money was allocated for this purpose only under Trump and since it has to be used...(Shrug?). Looks like DHS just pointed out where they thought the best place to use it.
I personally think there are better ways to use our tax money.
Again, Sean, partisans being partisan isn't a surprise. I can tell from comments from left and right partisans here they won't ever change, or acknowledge anything the other side might hand them.
Probably not.
Also, probably not.
How's about you explain Biden's fucked-up shenanigans?
There are so many to chose from... is there something in particular you'd like to discuss or just a the whole general WH circus? I've done my share of Biden criticisms.
The continuation of ineffectual border policy carried over from the 80's isn't going to work, but neither party want to do anything meaningful about it. Yelling about border security is bullshit. Figuring out how to stem the flow from Central America to a manageable rate while improving the system to manage them when they do get here so we can process them in a timely manner is a much more efficient way to deal with people. This way they either have a legal status or get shipped back home before they disappear. Which party is doing that? None... Not Dems, not Reps... no one except those inside the immigration system are talking about it. It would require significant bipartisan effort and money to accomplish, but hey lets kill some birds and poison some drinking water building new roads and barriers...
I see no legislation on immigration reform. Dems will never agree to actual enforcement and the GOP won't ever let Dems do what they did to Reagan.
"Comprehensive immigration reform" is a pie-in-the-sky dream.
As I just pointed out.
I'm not even talking about this part, but it would probably be necessary to address it I suppose.
Why? Is it because voters are distracted by partisan bickering over issues like EO signings?
As I already explained, Dems won't go for enforcement and the GOP won't be suckered in again.
Yep...............
Might do yourself a favor and read up on the 8 U.S.C. laws dealing with immigration - specifically 8 U.S. Code Chapter 12 - IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY, SUBCHAPTER II—IMMIGRATION (§§ 1151 – 1382)
All of the points you've mentioned are already covered, BUT THEY'RE NOT BEING ENFORCED - PERIOD !!!!!!!!!
Right - Reagan is no longer in office.
The points I mentioned are about housing and processing. They can't be enforced because the system isn't setup for the number of people coming. The immigration court shouldn't have years backlog. Status should be determined in weeks. FIRST they need to figure out how to stem the flow. No one is even doing that.
I'm sure you are familiar with the term "Day late and a dollar short." In Biden's case it's three years.
Yeah. Not too sure about 3 years, Biden has appeared that way for many years.
I'm talking about Biden's presidency.
I know, but I think his cognitive abilities began to decline years ago.
His handlers propped him up and lucked out when he beat Trump.
Yep.
The fact he got there in the end should be noted. I also see that's he's going to restart flying Venezuelans back without processing.
I believe the whole article is proof his actions were noted, just as his 2+years of inaction have been noted.
There is absolutely altruistic or well meaning regarding Biden's about face. His actions are solely the result of intense negative feedback from the voting public and the media. Perhaps his sagging poll numbers finally got through to him and his handlers.
He caved finally because of criticisms from NY and Illinois.
Seems like those states have a real problem dealing with the results of Biden's failed policies. And they are too big electorally for Joe to just ignore.
See, this is pure politics. He does something you should approve of, but instead, you criticize him for it. Why not simply be glad that he did the right thing this time?
Some people seem to care more about politics than people or country.
Because he has been insisting that there is no crisis.
Because he vowed to never build a wall.
Because his man Mayorkas just testified that the border is secure.
Because I don't believe Biden has any intention of stopping the mass influx of aliens.
Because I think Biden is merely throwing a bone out in an attempt to get sanctuary mayors and governors off his back.
Because Dems are being two faced about it now.
Who gives a shit what anyone said before? If you actually care about the issues and the country, you should be glad. Instead all you care about is making the other side look bad.
We see this all the time, now. People want politicians to behave a certain way, support a certain policy, etc. - and when they do, it’s all “you hypocrite!” But the real hypocrites are not the leaders who changed their minds. It’s the partisans who insist on tribal hate above all else.
Who cares what others said???
Lmao!
I am not making Democrats look bad, Democrats are making themselves look bad through their own hypocrisy and ineptness.
DNFTT...
Are you suddenly for a wall being built now?
Is that your final stance or will it change when a Republican is President?
Are you in favor of taking action to mitigate illegal immigration?
Does it matter if the action is taken by a D or an R administration?
I truly believe that anyone who has read my posts knows how I feel about enforcement.
Is that really unclear to you?
If I believed for an instant the Biden was serious, I would support this even more. He seems to be pandering to Democrats in sanctuaries.
After all the lies from this Administration, how can you be bamboozled by this ploy?
Are you, too, suddenly for a wall?
It is rather odd how easily some of these folks are fooled.
So you don’t believe he’s serious. His position hasn’t changed then? Therefore, he can’t be a hypocrite.
So you are for a wall yet you complain nonetheless.
I want illegal immigration mitigated. I favor exploiting technology to detect attempts and more border guards to act on the attempts. I am not convinced that a wall is the smartest option, but it surely is better than nothing.
And you of course wrongly presume that I have changed my position. You have never read me argue against measures so you presume in direct contradiction to what I have written.
Biden is merely trying to placate sanctuary mayors and governors so he won't lose support in a few big blue states.
If he was serious, he wouldn't have spent so much time lying about the border.
I didn't presume a fucking thing, I asked you a question.
Sure he can, that would make him a lying hypocrite..
That’s how it’s supposed to work, though, isn’t it? You demand something of government . . . Government provides . . . Satisfied voters re-elect. That is the system, no?
Maybe he was never serious about being against border enforcement. After all, 20 or 30 years ago (even 10), Democrats were just fine with controlling the border. But partisanship means you’re always against whatever the other side wants. So when a Democrat (Bill Clinton or Barack Obama) wants to control the border, they’re for it. When a Republican (Bush or Trump) is for it, they’re against it.
Both parties do this with many issues. For example, Republicans champion fiscal conservatism, but spend like drunken sailors when they’re in power. We’ve also seen both parties repeatedly flip-flop on the threats posed by Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran - depending on who controls the White House.
I just always hope that us regular people can be better and smarter than that.
Lol.
So you are fine with being publicly smeared as a racist, sex predator, etc for years so long as the person eventually says "I now agree with you"
Look, you can dance all around it if you choose.
I choose to call Biden out for being an outright liar and his sycophants for supporting his ineptness.
Had he been serious, why didn't he do something prior?
Why do people let his lies slip by?
if he was serious he never would have stopped it over 2 1/2 years ago. Hell it would probably be pretty close to completed by now.
Some of these folks sure are easy for Joe to bamboozle!
Living just six blocks from the AZ/Mexico border fence, my late wife used to say the Southern border has more holes in it than her favorite pasta strainer and she was right.
Dance all around? What a fantasy. I have nothing to dance around. I’m not the one attacking him for doing doing something I approve of. Talk about projection!
Again, who cares? He’s doing something today. Good!
Some people just don’t want to be happy.
That's the question, though, isn't it? Is he doing the right thing? I imagine that whatever is built will be welcome by the people in that area, for the most part. However, the problem isn't going to be solved by that wall being built. Where is the rest of the plan to address the border issue? What policies will he enact beyond the building of this wall?
I think that is were a lot of the criticism is coming from. Based on Biden's stance on the border to date, it is unreasonable to expect an attitude of "Well, it seems Biden has finally got on board with doing something to solve the border problem" when, in fact, there's not much indication I've seen that he intends anything beyond this one wall.
'Less severe'. Fewer instances of illegal immigration.
You quoted my question yet did not answer it.
Are you in favor of taking action to mitigate illegal immigration or do you prefer the status quo?
Of course not, but it definitely helps. A wall is never 100% (kinda like vaccines . . . Ahem!), but everywhere we put them, they reduce illegal migration, so I think they’re worth having.
I have no such expectation. I would not reach any generalized conclusion about his future intentions based on this one act. That’s not reasonable. For that matter, I don’t see anyone even attempting that.
I just have to question the priorities of people who are more worried about saying one single positive thing about Biden than they are about addressing a real problem. When people do that, they are clearly more concerned about winning at politics than they are about solving problems.
For emphasis ⇡
I assumed that to be the case, but I was talking about the people who you are speaking of.
There is some truth to that but it isn't the whole picture, as I'm sure you're aware. The larger problem, which drives what I believe you speak of, is that much of this is being driven by the narrative, which the media largely controls. For quite a while now, they've only focused on the extremes of either party for the most part. There are 435 members of the house, yet we rarely see any of them except the usual suspects. Who knows what message those who never get any airtime have? Further, most of them probably don't have a say in anything of significance anyway, since the way it's set up, they're there mostly to vote the way they are told to by those who control their party. This is what we are voting for. This is what we've elected. All or nothing positions and the people pushing them.
This is why I subscribe to neither side. I'm actually a monarchist. I'm glad Biden is building that wall, but motive counts. So far, I don't see a motive that indicates he's taking the border seriously. If he did, or I become convinced otherwise, I will certainly give him credit.
the fact that someone wrote that nonsense and you support it speaks volumes.
What Tacos! wrote is not nonsense.
A common (and valid) complaint about Biden is that he is not properly addressing the illegal immigration problem. Yet at the first sign of movement on this problem that you care about (and I care about too), you et. al. focus on criticizing Biden.
Tacos! was spot on.
it was and is utter nonsense.
Biden really screwed the pooch on the border. He hasn't got a freaking clue.
People making excuses for him are just sycophants.
Biden richly deserves whatever he gets. He earned it.
Nobody is making excuses. He did one thing and we’re saying that was a good thing. Geez, you’re as bad as a certain other member who thinks people (TiG and I, for example) are always excusing Trump just because someone suggests one thing he did might be good, or at least not as bad as others make out.
Sorry, I can't get excited over some calculated political move by Biden's handlers.
Biden has done a HORRIBLE job regarding the border and belatedly putting up a fence or wall while never even acknowledging that there is a crisis.
Sorry, I won't be cheering Biden for sucking up.
Nor, it seems, will you make any attempt to be objective. If it has to do with Ds it is, per you, wrong by definition.
But you can set the record straight if I am wrong.
Do you want work to continue on a border wall?
The real question is whether or not people will be chanting "build a wall" at Biden rallies next year.....
Look, if you want to cheer Biden for doing the job he should have done years ago, feel free. I won't be a Bidenista for anyone.
Not really interested in your theories of what you "think" I meant.
Maybe in Chicago or NYC.
This has nothing to do with cheering for Biden.
Do you want work to continue on a border wall or not?
Surely you know what you want.
I sincerely wish you would just stop with the silly, redundant questions.
I believe anyone who reads my posts can manage to decipher what I would like.
And to tell you the truth, if one can NOT tell what my position is by now, they are not worthy of my time, as they are obtuse.
No one suggested you get excited. But your only reaction has been to call him a hypocrite. Would you prefer he try to block wall construction?
I, for one, am glad he is facilitating wall construction - and his party or history on the issue does not change that assessment.
It takes far more time deflecting and running from scrutiny than it takes to state that you do indeed want the wall to be built.
As you note, we do all know that you want the wall to be built.
But, interestingly, you have been complaining all day about Biden diverting resources to continue building the wall that you want built.
Biden is actually doing something you want yet all you have done is complain.
it also takes an inordinate amount of time which I don't have to answer the same repeated questions.
Yes which is why it is so perplexing that you CONTINUE to ask when you freely admit you already know my position. It seems like you would have better things to ask.
And if you don't like me complaining about Biden, there is something you can do about it IF YOU CHOSE.
There you go, you have affirmed that you do want the wall built.
But when Biden starts moving resources to continue building the wall you want built, you have a problem.
Another example of the irrational nature of partisanship.
At long last I think you got it!
Pray tell what took so damn long!
You continue to play the faux obtuseness game. Fine, if that is how you want to operate.
What happened is that you finally affirmed what we know.
Now that your little bubble of smoke is gone, there is no doubt that when Biden starts moving resources to continue building the wall you want built, you have a problem. He is doing what you want, but you can only complain.
Don't be ridiculous.
I feel sorry for anyone who was at all unclear about my stance. I figured it was clear enough for it not to be in any kind of doubt. if you feel the need to hear the words for some reason to 'affirm' that which you already know, here you go. I AM FOR A WALL. I AM FOR STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAWS. I DO NOT LIKE BIDEN.
Do let me know if you need further affirmation.
If you do not like my complaining, there is certainly something you can do about it.
You are free to complain all you want, Texan.
And we are all free to see you complain about Biden even when he is doing something (building the wall) that you want done.
Never doubted it for a second.
True enough.
But to affirm, you are saying I'm free to complain and you and others are free to read it, right?
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He did! Dont you remember? He issued an Executive Order halting it.
And all the Democrats were good with it. They even celebrated it. Well, that is until border states started giving what these Democrat shithole sanctuary cities ask for. Now they are crying about "they can't support" what they ask for and here we are.
Seems like many folks have been bamboozled into thinking Joe is doing something spectacular.
Nobody said they weren't gullible.
It is quite possible to applaud what he is doing yet complain that it took him so long to do it, mainly because Trump was for it. How many people would not have poured through the border if Joe did what he should have done on day one instead of waiting for it to hurt him politically to continue his" the border is under control" charade?
Anyone looking at his shift objectively could see that.
Joe was forced into doing something because it was costing him votes. Yet some of the Biden apologists want to bow down and give thanks to his brilliance.
You know it. I know it, millions know it.
I won't waste time on sycophants who won't admit to knowing.
Did he complain about the wall being built or Joe for taking so long to move on it and then doing so only because he was forced to? The complaint about Joe is valid even though some try to conflate the building the wall with Joe finally getting around to it.
Some can't discern the differences.
Yes, it is possible.
What usually happens though is the partisans bitch about anything done by the other side. Even when the other side does something they would normally approve ... the partisan bitching ensues.
This is a key reason why we see so much irrational partisan nonsense today. Even when one side does something that appeals to the other side, they still get attacked. Obviously that is not conducive to meaningful, bipartisan cooperation.
Biden starts moving to shore up the border. This is something proponents of the wall and mitigating illegal immigration should applaud.
But partisans just cannot stop themselves from attacking no matter what. They perpetuate the counterproductive, petty bickering that takes place in government. It is childish and damaging to our nation.
Here is a better approach. Give credit when the opposition does something right. Criticize when the opposition does something wrong. And in all cases, be fair. Criticize on merits rather than exaggerate (and in some cases literally make shit up).
I have no expectation that our current partisan culture is going to get better, but the above is what I think we should be doing.
You mean like securing the border. One administration started the work to better secure the border, and because partisans didn't like that administration, they made every attempt to block the work and stopped the work being done to secure the border within the first week on office.
Bipartisan cooperation would have made sense when work was being done to better secure the border. But the partisans had to stop the work, well because, well, because of who started it. This was also reinforced when the same partisans sued states who were trying to secure their sections of the border. To go back and suddenly making it a "priority" now, is far from bipartisan cooperation. It's partisans in pathetically trying to save themselves.
Funny how we are supposed to have a kumbaya moment of unity because Joe finally did something worthwhile, even though his motives are suspect.
Biden doesn’t claim that he is doing this to shore up the border, he claims that it will be ineffective but he has to spend it on a wall to legally comply with the FY19 Budget Appropriation.
He claims that he asked Congress to redirect the funding to another purpose. No mention of when this reprogramming request was made or what the recommended alternative purpose was or what the Committee disapproval vote was.
If true, he could just let the money ‘expire’ and it would have been transferred back to the Treasury.
Then he is doing what the opposition wants, but for the wrong reason.
Seems to me it is possible to redirect funds to support the border agents instead of building more wall. If only Congress could cooperate on something, this might be an easy thing to pass and make good progress.
Fucking partisan politicians failing the nation.
Yes, a point which has repeatedly been made right here.
Do not even attempt to pretend that you were arguing that Biden did not have a choice. Your comments all presumed that Biden made the decision to continue building the wall. You were claiming that he made the choice but for the wrong reasons ... pure negative speculation (that turned out to be wrong).
It was DoW @1.2.65 who first introduced this notion that Biden had no choice and that he is still against the wall. That, if true, changes everything. New information to factor in.
Nobody had even hinted anything like that prior to DoW's comment and the article made zero mention of it.
So spare us the arrogant pretense that this was what you were repeatedly telling us. Your comments in this seed are all still visible.
I am not pretending anything. The point has been made repeatedly that Biden is merely attempting to placate some sanctuary officials in deep blue states.
Yes. he is FINALLY doing the right thing, but for the wrong reasons.
I don't see where that is at all complicated to understand.
And of course my comments are visible. Easy to see what I am saying is spot on!
Sure, and you stop pretending that I ever made such an argument.
In DoD, we are starting to build our part of the President’s FY 26 Budget Request. That budget isn’t likely to be approved on time in Sep 2025. So tack on continuing resolutions and priorities and plans can change significantly. When that happens and DoD needs to move the money around, we consider a reprogramming request.
Each agency is different, in DoD, Congressional approval is required of procurement reprogramming if it exceeds $20 million, or 20 percent of the appropriated amount, whichever is greater.
Our request goes to a subcommittee in both the House and the Senate.
The ‘color’ of money has an expiration date,
- O&M, year of execution
- R&F, two years
- Procurement, three years
- Installation, which the wall money is most likely, five years,
If not spent, on time, it goes back to treasury.
If true, then Joe and his WH lied again.
Surprise, surprise!
And that speculation was wrong if Biden had no choice.
Apparently he is not doing the right thing; apparently he would prefer to not continue the wall. So he gets no credit for doing the right thing and your wrong reasons speculation was wrong.
You thought Biden chose to do this. Every comment, including mine, which held that this was a choice by Biden is wrong (if indeed Biden had no choice and is still against building the wall).
The difference between my comments and yours is that I immediately factored in this new information and drew a new and different conclusion that Biden does not deserve any credit if this was indeed not his choice and not his wish. You just stubbornly claim you were right even though your comments ALSO are all based on this being Biden's choice.
Biden had a choice, Please stop pretending he didn't.
I think he finally IS doing the right thing. Of course, I am concerned about border security.
But he is anyway, so there's that.
Yeah, I don't give him any points for pandering. Feel free to if you want, though. We disagree whether his 'reasons' were right or wrong.
I am not going to keep rehashing my fairly obvious positions which most seem to get rather easily.
But I will not let you invent my position for me.
Note that my comment was based on the new information that Biden did not have a choice. I am not claiming he had no choice, I am going with the recent information that he had no choice and am speaking of the basis on which prior comments have been written.
IF Biden had no choice (and indeed does not want to build the wall), then my position is that Biden does not get credit for continuing to build the wall.
IF Biden had a choice and chose to build the wall, then those who support building the wall should at least give him credit for that.
All one can ever do is opine on the facts that are available. If those facts change, then one can (and should) refine their position accordingly.
One should NOT stubbornly insist they were right when all of their comments were based on the premise that this was Biden's choice.
Biden had a choice. I realize it is easy to pretend he didn't.
Again, you will not be inventing my position for me.
Biden has lied repeatedly about the border. He is building a small section of a wall that he vowed would never be done during his Administration. He is doing that to placate his base because blue sanctuary officials have begun whining about his shitty handling of the border.
He is at long last doing the right thing albeit for the wrong reasons.
So you are perfectly OK with him ignoring immigration law for three years just because he decided to start some wall construction again?
If he had done his damn job the day he shuffled into office and didn't bend the the loons of the left and stop wall construction in the first place, we would not have this many illegal aliens rush this country like they have been for three years.
No, we are now supposed to believe that Biden's hands were tied and he had no choice---even though he seemingly had a choice for the all the other parts of his term.
Proof that he didn't give a damn and really still doesn't. He is merely trying to hold on for the votes NY and Illinois can deliver.
Even his squad leader could spot the lie:
“The Biden administration was not required to expand construction of the border wall and they certainly were not required to waive several environmental laws to expedite the building. “The President needs to take responsibility for this decision and reverse the course.” AOC statement
Reality is all he had to do was sit back and let the work happen.
Will be hard to do with both states crying because their states received illegals due to their "sanctuary status" and can't fulfill their promises.
I wouldn't be the least surprised if somehow a few million or billion or two is thrown into the upcoming spending bills with NY and Illinois being the recipients.
May even be 'disguised' under some other titles.
Probably with the DoD budget with support for Bidens corruption coverage.
Speaking of pretending, you apparently are pretending that I have claimed Biden did not have a choice.
What I stated, and you of course know this, is that recent information from DoW reports that Biden had no choice with these funds and that he personally is against using the funds for the wall. So, with that information, assuming it is true, I offered my position.
If that information proves to be false and Biden did indeed have a choice and indeed chose to fund the wall, then I will return to my prior position.
So, again, if Biden truly had no choice (as was reported) then he deserves no credit and, similarly, he deserves no criticism.
On the other hand, if he did have a choice then an objective person who favors the wall would deem that to be a good move by Biden.
Partisans, of course, will criticize Biden no matter what he does. Even if he chooses to do something they are looking for, they will just criticize.
This is part of the reason why we have such a divisive political culture in this nation. Partisans cannot bring themselves to cooperate in the slightest ... it is piss and vinegar 24x7 against the opposition. It is pathetic.
No. I have been critical of Biden's handling the wall since the inception of his presidency. You need to pay better attention to what people write.
Also, I do not think a physical wall is necessarily the best solution for illegal immigration. I much prefer exploiting modern technology such as drones and long-range sensors. In short, I am in favor of cost-effective, humane, effective measures for mitigating illegal immigration.
Likely true. One of Biden's failures is illegal immigration. Try now to remember my position next time.
That is not what I have stated or implied. Do better than intellectual dishonesty.
I’m sorry that I was unclear. Biden had at least two choices:
Let's speculate now.
If Biden had a choice, and Biden is against funding the wall, why do you suppose he let the funds be used to continue building the wall?
Biden has lied repeatedly about the border. He is building a small section of a wall that he vowed would never be done during his Administration. He is doing that to placate his base because blue sanctuary officials have begun whining about his shitty handling of the border.
He is at long last doing the right thing albeit for the wrong reasons.
Biden had choices. He made the choice to build.
It has been pointed out to you several times now.
Not interested too much in the talk about partisans. My opinion is that you are as partisan as most and I realize you and I will never agree on that, so no sense delving into it at all.
An attempt to placate disgruntled Democrats in sanctuaries. Makes him look as if he is serious about accomplishing something meaningful. Political pandering.
That’s the most likely explanation that I can think of. He wanted it both ways.
I didn't say you did. What exactly are you defending?
To paraphrase an old adage:
Those who can't, preach.
Too bad Biden and Mayorkas ignored New Mexico and Arizona walls in this about face. Apparently they don't comprehend that all those illegals will just switch their invasion to areas in other states. Bottom line is the whole border has to be secured. Not just one part of one state or it is a self defeating exercise in futility that the current administration entered into on 1 Jan of 2020.
Agreed.
We should build more wall wherever necessary
And impeach Mayorkas for his obvious lies about the border not being open and secure.
Your Boy Joe is an incompetent ass.
Nobody watches this numb nuts here....or in HD.
Exactly how is that even possible, Mr. Mayorkas?
Did you not testify to Congress recently that the border is not open and is secure?
Lying, hypocritical POS
Is the government lying to us all about how many have come?
Joe said there is no crisis.
They should hire Chinese contractors to build the wall. They had to use Chinese workers to build the railroads, didn't they? And besides, the Chinese have thousands of years of experience in and are experts in building big long walls, are they not? America could join in the Belt and Road Initiative as part of the deal and that way maybe some of America's decaying infrastructure could get fixed..
Can we return them when they finish?
I'm sure the American government would be happy to reinstate the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Great!
I see, so in other words you and Ed would prefer to no longer eat authentically cooked Chinese food.
I can't stop your erroneous assumptions.
How about my oneous ones?
whatever floats your boat.
I sold my boat with my 4-season lakeside home more than 20 years ago. Had a canoe and a kayak as well back then. Do you have a more current suggestion so I can answer to help you keep your seed on the Front (Home) Page.
Nope. I am not worried about being on the front page after I have seeded an article.
Okay, I'll keep that in mind.
Okey-dokey!
Belt and Road Initiative comes with too many strings attached to it by the CCP. Not worth it.
Wasn't it a POTUS who said "We have nothing to fear bur fear itself"?
Exactly, but today’s POTUS sees Russia and China as primary threats.
We have a couple million Mexican workers already trying to get in.
But if we run short... that may be a good idea.
Well, SOMEONE will have to build "The Great Wall of America". The Canadians will work on their border wall, but will have to wait until Winter.
I remember building a snow block wall when I was in Antarctica, but we could not figure out where the beginning or the end should be.
Seems our Canadian friends are building an igloo. Maybe that is just one of the guard towers, eh?
In Canada's case the wall should be ' Ad Mare Usque Ad Mare' - the Latin expression on Canada's coat of arms that translates as ' From Sea to Sea'.
I have a story about that. Canada's flag used to be like some other Commonwealth nations, a Union Jack in the upper left corner and the Canadian coat of arms on a red background in the centre. But many years ago they had a contest and asked for suggestions from the public for a new flag design. Taking into consideration the fact that Canada stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific and national motto of 'From Sea to Sea' I submitted this design to illustrate the motto:
I thought my design was much more meaningful than the one Canada ended up with, wherein the side bars are red. I understand why the fall colour of a maple leaf is important and the colour of snow as a background, but I have no idea why they chose red bars on each side.
Sorry TiG, it's the best image I could find to illustrate what I said. Maybe it's supposed to be a double wall and a walkway on top like The Great Wall of China. My older brother and I, when I was about 10 years old, built an igloo in our back yard and actually slept in it that night without heat. We never repeated doing that.
So they had to do that in order to fix what they fucked up. When is the "victory lap" scheduled?
When is the "victory lap" scheduled?
As soon as Mexico pays for the wall.
That went out when Biden stopped construction. Maybe we can use the money that was slated for Ukraine to fund this.
That went out
… when it fell out of Trump’s tiny brain and rolled out his mouth.
Sorry - Biden Crime Family needs all that money for Ukraine - gotta keep the money flowing for "The Big Guy".
There will never be a victory lap for Biden regarding the border, except for some who advocate and enjoy virtually open borders and millions coming here, many illegally, of course.
Based on history, is the Big Guy getting his standard 10% cut of the money flowing to Ukraine?
Can you explain why, when allegedly walls don't work, the Biden Admin. reversed course entirely?
Can you explain why Joe wants a wall NOW when he has insisted all along that there is NO crisis and his main man Mayorkas recently testified that the border is secure?
Hypocritical Democrats seem ok with a wall NOW bit whined when anyone else suggested it.
I think Joe Biden and Mayorkas owe Donald Trump an apology.
So does Donald Trump....................
So Bidens presidency is over now that he’s a racist, right democrats?
No, liberals will smile and nod and keep voting for the same failed policies, then wonder what went wrong.
Realistically, nothing has changed.
Never should have been halted in the first damned place. Dumbasses.
We are about a month away from progressive posts blaming republicans for stopping it, because they always always supported the wall.
With the EO still out there, they can try to blame them but it will fail (much like everything else they've done).
Amen to that. Still got huge piles of stuff sitting less than five miles outside of my home town of Douglas, AZ.
So trump wants to build the wall and all the left is outraged that we may hurt some small gnat. Biden literally waves the endangered species act and crickets from the hypocrites on the left.
So Biden waved The Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and Endangered Species Act. So Biden is willing to make some species extinct, pollute the water and destroy the environment to get re-elected. I guess Bidens chances of getting re-elected are a greater danger to them than climate change.
There are no hypocrites quite like Democrats.
They have made it an art form.
I wonder what the odds are that we get a liberal to admit that Biden and Mayorkas have been lying their asses off?
Not on this site.
What strikes me as so odd is I remember some of the vitriol released on Trump for even suggesting a wall.
Not a soul on the left seems to be condemning Joe for this or even wiling to talk about it.
Suddenly it is okay because Joe says so.
I guess they recognize a losing position that can't be logically defended.
Most would rather chew on a mouth full of something very unpleasant before they would admit it.
This is all about 2024 and placating the Democrats that are starting to feel some of the effects of Bidens open border politics. I doubt anything more than some roads being scraped in will be accomplished. Hell they're still squabbling with Texas over buoys....
Guess they gave up on AZ and their "border boxes".
Yeah, they got "Don't bar the door" Katie Hobbs handling things...
The DOJ sued AZ.
I wonder how long it took them to put
As opposed to a real leader................
Biden laid out the welcome mat and opened the border.
What kind of deal has Biden made with Mexican government to feed and shelter the tens of thousands of would be illegal immigrants if they are successfully stopped at the US border? What is this going to cost the US taxpayer because Biden opened the border and then (maybe) closed it?
Is biden trying to piss off the drug cartels and human smugglers?
Probably not - Hunter needs both.
I saw where they caught some 450k worth of drugs coming across the border.
Oh, where will Hunter score now?
Daddy's connections in D.C. maybe?
I'm not sure the bullshit out of this administration is worse than Joes dementia or because of it.
And talk about political speak.
So it's not a border wall, It's a wall in the vicinity of the border. What is the over/under that some idiots will buy this and latch onto it?
Nothing, we just need to borrow more.
So does this mean that Arizona will be getting their $2.1M back and be permitted to secure their section of the border?
So we are supposed to give Biden credit for this? You have to fucking retarded to do so.
These are Bidens words on the wall before.
President-elect Joe Biden pledged to end construction of his predecessor’s signature border wall, but halting the ongoing, multibillion-dollar project will be an arduous, complex and potentially costly process.
"There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration, No.
Bidens words now
“The money was appropriated for the border wall,” Biden said. “I can’t stop that.”
“Our policy remains as it was since day one. We are opposed to the construction of the wall.”
I'm not giving this piece of crap credit for doing the "right thing" because he isn't doing it because it's right. He's claiming he has no choice. and anybody who thinks otherwise is making excuses for this Piece of shit.
This is additional information not in the article.
Those words would indeed remove credit from Biden because he is claiming he did not make this decision and in fact disagrees with it. One does not deserve credit for an action one did not make, especially if one is against the action.
Biden lied.
No pussyfooting around that fact and no amount of spin should make it palatable to reasonable folk.
Do you remember way back when people were all in arms constantly over a President lying?