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A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 12 sepTember 2019

450 miles of border wall by next year? In Arizona, it starts

By ASTRID GALVAN both vehicles as well as
Associated Press family units and unaccom-
YUMA, Ariz. (AP) — On a panied alien children dur-
dirt road past rows of date ing the crisis that we’ve
trees, just feet from a dry seen in the past couple
section of Colorado River, of months,” Border Patrol
a small construction crew spokesman Jose Garibay
is putting up a towering said. “They’ve just been
border wall that the gov- pouring over the border
ernment hopes will reduce due to the fact that we’ve
— for good — the flow of only ever had vehicle bol-
immigrants who cross the lards and barriers that by
U.S.-Mexico border illegally. design only stop vehicles.”
Cicadas buzz and heavy Victor Manjarrez Jr., a for-
equipment rumbles and mer Border Patrol chief
beeps before it lowers who’s now a professor at
30-foot-tall (48-kilometer- the University of Texas, El
tall) sections of fence Paso, was an agent when
into the dirt. “Ahí está!” the government put up
— “There it is!” — a Span- the first stretch of barriers
ish-speaking member of along the southern border
the crew says as the men — in San Diego. He’s seen
straighten the sections into barriers evolve from eas-
the ground. Nearby, work- A government contractor walks beside a completed section of Pentagon-funded border wall ily collapsible landing mats
ers pull dates from palm along the Colorado River, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019 in Yuma, Ariz. installed by agents and
trees, not far from the cot- Associated Press the National Guard to the
ton fields that cars pass on facilities. Two other Penta- is replacing shorter barriers for four months, including sophisticated, multibillion-
the drive to the border. gon-funded construction that U.S. officials say are meals, laundry and securi- dollar projects now being
South of Yuma, Arizona, the projects in New Mexico and less efficient. ty, but officials are evaluat- done by private contrac-
tall brown bollards rising Arizona are underway, but It comes amid a steep in- ing whether to keep it run- tors. Manjarrez says tall
against a cloudless desert some are skeptical that so crease since last year in the ning past next month as the border fencing is crucial in
sky will replace much short- many miles of wall can be number of migrant families number of arrivals in Yuma some areas and less help-
er barriers that are meant built in such a short amount who cross the border ille- and across the southern ful in others, like remote
to keep out cars, but not of time. The government is gally in the Yuma area, of- border have fallen sharply stretches of desert where
people. This 5-mile (8-kilo- up against last-minute con- ten turning themselves in to in recent months. shorter barriers and more
meter) section of fencing struction hiccups, funding Border Patrol agents. Many The drop is largely due to technology like ground
is where President Donald issues and legal challenges are fleeing extreme pover- the Mexican government’s sensors would suffice.
Trump’s most salient cam- from environmentalists and ty and violence, and some efforts to stop migrants from “One form doesn’t fit in all
paign promise — to build property owners whose are seeking asylum. heading north after Trump areas, and so the fence it-
a wall along the entire land sits on the border. So far this year, Border Pa- threatened tariffs earlier self is not the one solution.
southern border — is taking The Trump administration trol agents in the Yuma this year to force Mexico to It’s a combination of many
shape. says the wall — along with sector have apprehended act. things,” Manjarrez said.
The president and his ad- more surveillance technol- over 51,000 family units. The number of people The ease of construction
ministration said this week ogy, agents and lighting — That’s compared with just apprehended along the varies by place and de-
that they plan on building is key to keeping out peo- over 14,500 the year before southern border fell by pends on things like water,
between 450 and 500 miles ple who cross illegally. — about a 250% increase. 61 percent between this Manjarrez said, adding that
(724 and 806 kilometers) of Critics say a wall is useless The Yuma sector is the third year’s high point in May just because a plot of land
fencing along the nearly when most of those appre- busiest along the southern and the end of August. In is flat “doesn’t mean it’s not
2,000-mile (3,218-kilometer) hended turn themselves border, with officials build- Yuma, it fell by 86 percent, complex.”
border by the end of 2020, in to Border Patrol agents ing a temporary, 500-per- according to government He said building 450 to 500
an ambitious undertaking in the hope they can be son tent facility in the park- figures. Most people appre- miles (724 and 806 kilome-
funded by billions of de- eventually released while ing lot of the Border Patrol’s hended are either traveling ters) of fence by the end of
fense dollars that had been their cases play out in immi- Yuma headquarters in as families or are unac- next year would be tough if
earmarked for things like gration court. June. companied children. that figure doesn’t include
military base schools, target In Yuma, the defense-fund- It spent just under $15 million “Historically this has been sections of the wall that
ranges and maintenance ed section of tall fencing for the setup and services a huge crossing point for have been built recently.q