The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it has authorized the completion of the Trump-funded U.S.-Mexico border wall near Yuma, Arizona.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas authorized U.S. Customs and Border Protection to close four gaps near the Morelos Dam in the U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security news release.
In the news release, the DHS said that closing the gaps in the border wall will protect migrants from the Colorado River when trying to cross the border.
"Due to the proximity to the Morelos Dam and the swift moving Colorado River, this area presents safety and life hazard risks for migrants attempting to cross into the United States where there is a risk of drownings and injuries from falls. This area also poses a life and safety risk to first responders and agents responding to incidents in this area," the DHS said.
The DHS said that the border project will be funded by the agency's 2021 appropriations that were approved by the Trump administration, and they "will move as expeditiously as possible, while still maintaining environmental stewardship."
"The Border Patrol Yuma sector has quickly emerged as the third busiest of nine sectors along the border, with much of the traffic funneling through the Morelos Dam," according to the Associated Press.
There have been 235,230 migrant encounters by border officials in the Yuma Sector since Oct. 1, 2021, according to the New York Post. The only sectors with more migrant encounters were Del Rio and Rio Grande Valley.
"This project supports CBP’s and DHS’s priority to deploy modern, effective border measures and also improving safety and security along the Southwest Border," the DHS said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about the border completion on Friday, and made it clear that the Biden administration wasn't "finishing" the border wall, but instead fixing the Trump administration's "mess."
"We’re not finishing the wall," Jean-Pierre said. "We are cleaning up the mess the prior administration left behind in their failed attempt to build a wall."
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