“In a major, crucial WIN for America, and our National Security, a Federal Judge in Texas, based on papers we filed just a few days ago, has PROHIBITED the Biden Administration from selling any materials designated for the Border Wall,” said President-elect Donald Trump in a Saturday Truth Social post.
According to a Friday press release from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a federal judge called a hearing regarding Paxton’s “request to uncover potential legal violations committed by the Biden Administration after recent reports that segments of the border wall were auctioned off for pennies on the dollar.”
A Trump team court filing from earlier this month accused President Joe Biden’s administration of holding a “fire sale” of materials used to build the unfinished border wall project that was supposed to span across the U.S. border with Mexico and deter illegal immigration. Per The Hill, the filing relied on “reporting from the conservative Daily Wire,” and that those claims “conflict with language from last year’s defense policy bill, which required the administration to distribute or sell any unused border wall material.
“The Biden Administration confirmed to the court today that it will agree to an order preventing the outgoing administration from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days – allowing President Trump to use those materials as he sees fit,” said Paxton’s press release. “This will be adopted as an order of the court, making it enforceable if any violations occur.”
When Trump took office in 2016 for his first term in the White House, around $15 billion was appropriated for the border wall project, according to U.S. News & World Report. When Biden took office in 2021, he ordered for construction of the wall to stop. By that time, 458 miles consisting mostly of 18- to 30-foot steel bollards anchored in concrete had been completed.
“From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer, said Biden’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement released last October.
Paxton said the court stated Friday that “Texas is entitled to documentation proving that the Biden Administration has not violated an injunction secured by Attorney General Paxton in May of 2024 that required the Biden Administration to spend statutorily obligated funds on border wall construction after the federal government attempted to illegally redirect the money.” According to Paxton, “responsible parties could be held in contempt of court,” if it is shown that the Biden administration disposed of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to that injunction in violation of a court order.
In his Saturday statement, Trump said the wall was “wrecked by Biden and his cronies.” He also said that he intends to rebuild it to protect the U.S. from what he called “migrant crime,” including fentanyl smuggling and sex trafficking.
“I am honored to be joined in this vital case by the Great States of Texas and Missouri, and applaud Judge Drew Tipton for doing the right thing for our Country,” Trump added.
While Trump praised the ruling as a win for his immigration policies, different factions of his MAGA camp were at odds this week over immigration. Tech-focused allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed a visa program for certain immigrants that other members of the movement opposed.