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U.S. NEWS Friday 29 July 2022
U.S. to fill border wall gaps at open area near Yuma, Arizona

ANITA SNOW is going to make them turn
PHOENIX (AP) — The Biden around and book a return
administration on Thursday flight on Air Ethiopia is sheer
authorized completion of fallacy."
the Trump-funded U.S.- A 5-year-old migrant girl
Mexico border wall in an crossing the water in a
open area of southern Ari- group drowned near the
zona near Yuma that has dam June 6 when she be-
become one of the busiest came separated from her
corridors for illegal cross- mother. The child's body
ings. was later found in the river.
Biden had pledged during U.S. officials didn't release
his campaign to cease all the girl's identity or nation-
future wall construction, ality. But Jamaican news-
but the administration later papers have said she was
agreed to some barriers, believed to be from that
citing safety. The Depart- country.
ment of Homeland Security It was unclear when con-
said Thursday the work to struction would begin. The
close four wide gaps in the statement said officials will
wall near Yuma will better move "as expeditiously as
protect migrants who can possible, while still maintain-
slip down a slope or drown In this Thursday, June 10, 2021, file photo, a pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap ing environmental steward-
walking through a low sec- in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma, Ariz., to seek ship" by consulting affect-
tion of the Colorado River. asylum. ed parties.
The agency said in a state- Associated Press Advocates in San Diego
ment that Secretary Alejan- say the Border Patrol there
dro Mayorkas authorized across a concrete ledge pressed the Biden admin- released into the United has told them of plans to
completion of the project on the dam to U.S. soil, istration to close the gaps, States. erect two 30-foot- (9.1-me-
near the Morelos Dam, re- where they wait for Border calling them a challenge But Arizona environmental- ter) high bollard-style bar-
flecting the administration's Patrol agents to take them for officials trying to secure ist Myles Traphagen, who riers through the border's
"priority to deploy modern, into custody. the border. has been mapping ecolog- iconic Friendship Park. Like
effective border measures Completion of the wall Agents stopped migrants ical damage left by border the Yuma project, the ad-
and also improving safe- was at the top of former more than 160,000 times wall construction under the ditional construction was
ty and security along the President Donald Trump's from January through June Trump administration, said funded during Trump's ad-
Southwest Border." It was agenda, and border se- in the Yuma sector, nearly that closing the gaps won't ministration but not com-
initially to be funded by the curity remains a potent is- quadruple from the same be much of a deterrent. pleted before his presiden-
Defense Department but sue for candidates of both period last year. The only Traphagen said the Yuma cy ended.
will now be paid for out of parties going into this year's other sectors with more area has "become the The new barriers will re-
Homeland Security's 2021 primary elections. President traffic were Del Rio and new Ellis Island for Arizona, place shorter walls and se-
budget. Joe Biden halted new wall Rio Grande Valley in South with people arriving there verely impede cross-border
The Border Patrol Yuma construction after he took Texas. from countries as disparate views, including to San Di-
sector has quickly emerged office, but he has since The area has been espe- as Ethiopia, Cuba, Russia, ego's skyline from Tijuana,
as the third busiest of nine made closing the gaps just cially attractive to Colom- Ukraine, India, Colombia said the Rev. John Fanestil
sectors along the border, south of Yuma a priority. bians, Venezuelans and and Nicaragua. of Friends of Friendship Park,
with much of the traffic fun- Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark others who have flown to "People have traveled half a group that advocates for
neling through the Morelos Kelly of Arizona, who is Mexicali, Mexico, and tak- way around the globe on public access to the bina-
Dam. Migrants arrive in the seeking his party nomina- en a short bus or taxi ride to planes, trains and automo- tional park inaugurated in
small town of Algodones tion's next week to defend Algodones to walk across biles," he said, "so to expect 1971 by-then first lady Pat
and walk unencumbered the seat in November, has the border before being that closing four small gaps Nixon.q

New USPS election division will oversee mail-in ballots

WASHINGTON (AP) — The tive director of the divi- pandemic, the Postal Ser-
United States Postal Service sion, said Wednesday that vice said it delivered 97.9%
is creating a division to han- the services will oversee of ballots from voters to
dle election mail issues as "election mail strike teams" election officials within
part of an effort to ensure in every local and district three days, and 99.89% of
swift and secure delivery community to address any ballots were delivered with-
of ballots for the 2022 mid- problems that might arise. in seven days, in the 2020
term election, officials said "We are fully committed to election. The Postal Service
Wednesday. the secure and timely deliv- is sending guidance let-
The idea behind the cre- ery of the nation's election ters to election officials in
ation of the Election and mail," she said. The Postal each state and territory this
Government Mail Services Service was dogged by week. Postal workers are
is to have a permanent di- backlogs and questions already hard at work de-
vision dedicated to deal- ahead of the 2020 presi- livering ballots this year. So A USPS logo adorns the back doors of United States Postal Ser-
ing with election matters, dential election, in which far, nearly 40 million ballots vice delivery vehicles as they proceed westbound along 20th
instead of handling issues more than 135 million bal- have been mailed to and Street from Stout Street and the main post office in downtown
one at a time as in the past. lots were delivered to and from voters during primary Denver, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Associated Press
Adrienne Marshall, execu- from voters. Despite the elections, officials said.q