New Mexico finally gets better border wall

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | September 15, 2019 | Yvette Herrell

[American in Israel]

Do you really want to pretend 18 foot bollard walls with patrol roads and electronic surveillance don't count when it is replacing useless 4 foot high unwired fences?

Let me guess, if you won the lottery you would tear up the ticket if it wasn't at least ten million.

[hawkaw]

Is this Ann Coulter?

[American in Israel]

From AP 8 hour ago, an excerpt that helps explain what is going on.

In Yuma, the defense-funded section of tall fencing is replacing shorter barriers that U.S. officials say are less efficient.

It comes amid a steep increase since last year in the number of migrant families who cross the border illegally in the Yuma area, often turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents. Many are fleeing extreme poverty and violence, and some are seeking asylum.

So far this year, Border Patrol agents in the Yuma sector have apprehended over 51,000 family units. That’s compared with just over 14,500 the year before – about a 250% increase.

The Yuma sector is the third busiest along the southern border, with officials building a temporary, 500-person tent facility in the parking lot of the Border Patrol’s Yuma headquarters in June.

Would you rather 50 miles be built in a lower traffic zone and leave the higher traffic zones open? I thought the goal was to slow down illegal migration!

How strange of Trump to insist on results instead of building in easier areas for better press reports. He just is not a professional Politician I guess.

[BeauBo]

Let’s go down the list, and correct some facts.

“The money for this “replacement” fence was appropriated in 2017.”

No. The 2017 appropriations paid for 20 miles running West from El Paso (from the foot of Mount Cristo Rey). That segment has already been completed and delivered t the Government (accepted by the Contracting Officer as completed for final payment). The 46 mile segment referred to in this article will extend that further West. The money for this 46 miles comes from DoD Counter-Narcotics accounts, which were identified when the President declared the emergency in February. It is among the segments that the Supreme Court ruled in July could go frward, with that source of funding. Additionally, this month the Secretary of Defense has authorized a further 13 miles to extend that 46 mile mile run further West, far past the Columbus Port of Entry, to the corner of the “bootheel”. The $3.6 billion from Military Construction accounts (only possible with a Presidential declaration of emergency) will fund those 13 miles.

“Ann Coulter wanted to know why Trump had not even started to replace old fences two years after he had the money.”

The 2017 appropriations were not passed into Law until May 5, 2017 - over three months after President Trump took office. All 40 miles funded with the 2017 appropriations have already been completed and accepted by the Government (the 20 miles from El Paso, 14 miles of San Diego Primary Barrier, 2.25 miles in Calexico, and 4 miles downtown El Paso).

“As to “new” fences.... After 31 months in office, Trump finally broke ground for 5 miles (yes, FIVE miles) of “new” fence in Arizona in August 2019.”

32 more miles of “new” barrier has already been contracted in the Rio Grande Valley, and construction has begun there as well. Also, the Secondary Barrier in San Diego (on track to complete in January) includes 1 1/2 miles which were not covered by the old Secondary. Additionally, lots of assorted small segments of gaps will be filled by the DoD funded projects.

“Since January 2017, Trump has completed 40 miles of “replacement” fence that was budgeted and started under Obama in 2016.”

The last report by the Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (Mark Morgan) was 65 miles complete.

The Obama Administration did not request funding for border barrier in their budget, it was inserted by the Republican controlled House. Clearly, since the money was not released until May 2017, it did not start in 2016.

“In October 2017, Trump budgeted and started another 80 miles of “replacement” fence.”

The President released his 2018 budget on February 27, 2017, five weeks after taking office. It was submitted to Congress on 16 March, but the greatly reduced amount actually appropriated (for only 80 miles) was not received until after it was formally enacted on March 23, 2018. Normal contracting lead time for Federal construction projects is over a year, but all of the 2018 appropriations were awarded before the end of calendar year 2018 (except for a small amount to finish building gates in the old barrier around Brownsville - since awarded and under construction).

“As of September 2019, two years later, Trump has completed just 20 miles of his own “replacement” fence.”

All 65+ miles completed have been as a result of the Trump Administration, and Congressional Republicans. The Obama Administration did not include the DHS request in the President’s Budget that they submitted to Congress. The incoming Trump Administration coordinated to have the House add it in. The very first segment completed under President Trump (Calexico, CA), had been halted from contracting by the Obama Administration in 2009, and not re-activated until after President Trump took office.

Additionally, President Trump has acquired funding for a total of 529 miles (completed + awarded/underway + funded and in contracting) of “Wall System” construction, which includes the full suite of infrastructure upgrades to achieve full operational control of the border (bollards, roads, lights, cameras, sensors and alarms). These miles are going to DHS’ top priorities. Most areas of high traffic (border cities) already had some form of barrier, so that ineffective barrier had to be replaced to stop the biggest flows. No sense in wasting money on less effective rural barrier, just to claim it was “new”. The main exception is the Rio Grande Valley, where traffic is high, but over a hundred miles lack any physical barrier.

The highest volume trafficking corridors - The Rio Grande Valley, San Diego and Yuma (as well as others) will be closed with what he has already been funded (contracting lead times and construction takes about two years for this Program - much faster than the Federal norm of five). Over half of New Mexico’s border is already funded and in the pipeline, as well as almost half of Arizona’s.

“Within the last month, Trump has secured $3.6 billion of Pentagon funding to build just over 100 miles of completely “new” fencing in areas that have no fence at all.”

The $3.6 billion from Military Construction accounts was secured by its specific designation at the time of the President’s emergency declaration in February - immediately as the House finalized its appropriation without his requested wall funding - before the bill even reached his desk. That money has been used by the Secretary of Defense to approve 11 projects totaling 175 miles. Although there are many parts among those projects that will fill former gaps, I have not seen a solid number on how many of those will be so-called “new” miles. The commonly cited “100 new miles” is the Rio Grande Valley, which is mostly funded by appropriations (33 in 2018, 55 in 2019). The administration has indicated that funds from the Department of the Treasury’s asset forfeiture account (also specified at the time of the emergency declaration) will also be used in the Rio Grande Valley.

“Trump’s Bottom Line after 32 months...”

Is really the 529 miles. Once contracts are awarded and the money obligated, it is very difficult to stop. Obama was unable to stop the Bush era Secure Fence Act contracts that were already in place when he took office (they tried). Obama was able to put an immediate stop to new contracts being awarded (such as Calexico West), and did not spend the rest of the money appropriated for border barrier in FY 2009 on that purpose.

Additionally, it is quite likely that the Trump Administration will receive (or re-program) a significant amount of money next year, which it will be able to contract many more miles, even if a Democrat wins the Presidency in November. I anticipate that will likely be hundreds of additional miles, based on this year’s performance. The Program is now scaled up to where it can execute those levels of funding, and contractors have had time to scale up, to where they could complete it.

On 25 January 2015 (five days after taking office), President Trump issued Executive Order 13767, directing DHS to build the wall, and to develop a plan to achieve full operational control of the Southern Border. After much back and forth between the budget analysts in OMB and CBO, and after having addressed lots of Congressional criticisms, the Comprehensive Plan was finally accepted by Congress in December of 2018.

It recommends $25 billion over five years, to build about 1,100 miles of (carefully justified and prioritized) barrier, establish thousands of new full time positions, and funds several technology programs (to monitor every mile of the border - barrier or not).

The 529 miles already in the pipeline, is about half of the planned total. For next year, the Trump Administration has formally requested a total of $8.6 billion in the President’s budget (including $5 billion in direct appropriation through DHS) - which would seem to be enough to contract the rest of the planned barrier.

It is likely that Congress will only appropriate the approximately $1.4 billion that is included in the ten year budget baseline, but also likely that the Administration has contingency plans to get funding from other sources, if (when) Congress fails to deliver.

[Jeff Chandler]

Maybe these are Caymans?

That was my guess. Gators have wider, rounder snouts. Crocs have long snouts. Caymans have croc-like snouts, but shorter.

[Jeff Chandler]

Those snouts look narrow. Must be the angle.

[Jeff Chandler]

Actually, I’m an Ann Coulter fan. I think her books are priceless and should be required reading in school.

But I do think she expects too much speed in action from our beleaguered president.

“How come this oil tanker isn’t turned around. I gave the order five minutes ago!”

[Jeff Chandler]

Actually, my posts on Free Republic keep President Trump honest.

[Let's Roll]

Can’t comment about our incompetent gov, but you should read the idiots commenting in the paper because the arena in question only holds 7,000 people while the arena manager has been talking about thousands more. Ha-ha they’re saying what a moron you are the arena won’t hold thousands more.

These well-informed mental midgets obviously don’t know that ALL of Trump’s rallies draw thousands more than can get into the arenas.

[Does so]

Jet-Ski sales are up in Mexico. ;)

[zeestephen]

Thanks for the AP update.

There are four pending Pentagon projects in Yuma.

I have no idea which one this is.

However, please notice the word “replacing” in the report.

That means that Trump - after 32 months in office - has constructed zero miles of new fence on previously un-fenced areas.

I apologize for suggesting that Trump might have actually built one mile of new fence on un-fenced land.

I also erred when I claimed that Trump had built 60 miles of replacement fence.

According to USCBP:

“As of August 9, 2019, CBP has constructed approximately 57 miles of new border wall system since 2017...”

When CBP says “new” they mean “replacement,” because that is the only fencing that has been authorized and funded by Congress.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/new-border-wall-project-completed-san-diego

[zeestephen]

Re: “The money for this “replacement” fence was appropriated in 2017.”

Obviously, I meant FY 2017, which started four months before Trump took office.

If you are claiming that Obama’s FY 2017 budget had zero dollars for fence replacement, please send me a link, because I don't believe that.

Re: CBP and DOD Money

I made a careful effort to distinguish between Customs and Border Patrol money - which is for replacement fence only - and Pentagon money - which is for replacement AND new fencing on un-fenced land.

Re: “The money for this 46 miles comes from DoD Counter-Narcotics accounts”

I can't find any reference to that.

On 03 September 2019, the Secretary of Defense sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee that states all $3.6 billion will come from “deferred military construction projects.”

In addition, the Secretary does not even mention your 46 mile and 13 mile El Paso projects. He specifically cites a 23 mile and a 6 mile project.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/03/politics/sasc-border-wall-military-funds-letter/index.html

Re: “New Barrier”

All of Trump's press releases talk about “new” fences.

None of Trump's press releases explain that Congress has only appropriated funds for replacement fences.

By the way - the replacement fences that were in Obama’s budget are only 18 feet tall - not 30 feet.

Re: “The last report by the Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (Mark Morgan) was 65 miles complete.”

Please send a link.

According to the last CBP press release on The Wall:

“As of August 9, 2019, CBP has constructed approximately 57 miles of new border wall system since 2017.”

All of that is replacement wall.

Re: “The 2017 appropriations were not passed into Law until May 5, 2017.”

Re: “The President released his 2018 budget on February 27, 2017...it was formally enacted on March 23, 2018.

LOL - I think you need to clean those numbers up and get back to me.

Re: 11 DOD projects totaling 175 miles

All 11 projects are explained in detail in my link to the Secretary's letter - 100 miles are new fence on currently un-fenced land.

Your Bottom Line....

Your comments overflow with “recommendations” and “in the pipeline” fantasies.

My Bottom Line...

After 32 months in office Trump has built 57 miles of replacement fence and zero miles of new fence.

[thingumbob]

Here. You might want to read this part from above at least.

Construction crews have already begun reinforcing a 46-mile stretch of the border to protect our state from the growing threat of illegal immigration.

For all intents and purposes, this is actually a brand new stretch of border wall, because the old barrier did practically nothing to stop people from crossing the border into New Mexico illegally

[zeestephen]

Re: “At least?”

I read EVERY post about immigration on Free Republic.

The border is 2,000 miles long.

People will just go a few miles right or left, and walk across the border.

Once on USA soil, if they have verifiable ID, if they do not have criminal warrants, if they are not transporting drugs or carrying a gun, almost 100% will get “Catch and Release.”

And remember - 50% of illegal immigrants arrive here legally, and just over stay their visas.

Vigorously enforced Universal E-Verify is the only thing that will stop massive illegal immigration.

Trump could implement that with an Executive Order - but, he will never do that.

[BeauBo]

“The money for this “replacement” fence was appropriated in 2017.”
Obviously, I meant FY 2017, which started four months before Trump took office.

Money is not appropriated until congress votes on it, and the President signs it - they are usually late. The FY17 money was not appropriated (not available to spend) until May of 2017, seven months late.

“If you are claiming that Obama’s FY 2017 budget had zero dollars for fence replacement, please send me a link, because I don’t believe that.”

If you don’t know, you should not claim it as fact (its wrong). Try Google.

“I made a careful effort to distinguish between Customs and Border Patrol money - which is for replacement fence only - and Pentagon money - which is for replacement AND new fencing on un-fenced land.”

Only the 2017 appropriation had any restriction on “new” barrier. The Rio Grande Valley (most of the “new” miles), is mostly funded with CBP money (33 miles in 2018, 55 in 2019 appropriations).

““The money for this 46 miles comes from DoD Counter-Narcotics accounts”

I can’t find any reference to that.”

This guy has a spreadsheet of contract awards, which includes funding sources (https://www.trumpwall.construction/) for convenience, but I put “DoD 46 miles” into Google, and the first hit worked to find out such a basic fact. (https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/news/press-releases/udall-speaks-out-against-plans-for-46-miles-of-new-mexico-border-wall-presses-defense-department-for-answers-following-attempted-transfer-of-1-billion-in-military-personnel-funding-to-pay-for-president-trumps-wall)

“On 03 September 2019, the Secretary of Defense sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee that states all $3.6 billion will come from “deferred military construction projects.”

In addition, the Secretary does not even mention your 46 mile and 13 mile El Paso projects. He specifically cites a 23 mile and a 6 mile project.”

Read your own reference. Under El Paso Project 2 (Third Segment), where it says “extending 12.84 miles” - I rounded that to 13 (the first and second segments are way down in the boot heel, near Arizona and the Antelope Wells Port of Entry). The 23(.51) mile number is a total of the three segments within El Paso Project 2 - not a separate segment. The 46 miles project is not listed on that memo, because it was a separate action, using different funds (Counter-Narcotics, not Military Construction), authorized under a separate law, months earlier. In fact, it was even a different SecDef then (Shanahan), who approved the 46 mile project.

“All of Trump’s press releases talk about “new” fences.”

The Trump Administration does not agree with the Leftist word game spin (designed to mislead) that if you build new barrier, it is not new - unless there was nothing there before - and therefore is worth less somehow. It is brand new construction, where it is needed most, regardless of whether something ineffective was there before, or not.

“None of Trump’s press releases explain that Congress has only appropriated funds for replacement fences.”

That has not been true since the 2017 appropriation. The 2018 and 2019 appropriations from Congress were predominantly for so-called “new” miles, where no barrier existed before in the Rio Grande Valley Sector (FY18 - 33 miles, FY19 - 55 miles).

“Re: “The 2017 appropriations were not passed into Law until May 5, 2017.”

Re: “The President released his 2018 budget on February 27, 2017...it was formally enacted on March 23, 2018.

LOL - I think you need to clean those numbers up and get back to me.”

Those are all objective, historical facts.

First the President prepares a budget, then he submits it to Congress, and then later they enact it into law. They don’t do it on October 1st, even though they are supposed to. They have continuing resolutions, until there is finally an agreement. If the continuing resolutions expire without an agreement, we have a Government shutdown (in fact the longest Government shutdown in history was over President Trump’s fight for border wall funding).

So the President submits a budget about six or eight months before October 1st (usually on the Monday following the State of the Union Address), and Congress generally enacts the appropriations some months after October 1st. Some specific appropriations bills (there are twelve standard ones), like Defense, tend to be done earlier. This is not the first time this has happened - it has been the norm.

LOL, please see the Sesame Street episode on how a bill becomes law. Or engage your brain by verifying facts (or Google), before assuming them (or wrongfully mocking those who are correct). I have really been shocked how the majority of what you cite as facts, are incorrect.

Maybe you have been misled by Miss Coulter, whose motivation is to sell books, and be controversial enough to get booked on frequent paid media appearances.

“All 11 projects are explained in detail in my link to the Secretary’s letter - 100 miles are new fence on currently un-fenced land.”

Technically, if you want to be consistent, Secondary barrier is not on un-fenced land - the primary barrier is already there. The major 52 mile run North from the Laredo Colombia Port of Entry is really “new” - wide open land with thick vegetation, super hard to police. The construction there leads me to believe that the plan is ultimately to run basically continuous barrier from Falcon Lake South of Laredo (the biggest city on the border without significant barrier) to the Box Canyon/Amistad Reservoir North of Del Rio (which has received a major increase in traffic, shifted from elsewhere) - a couple of hundred more new miles likely to get funded in 2020 (by hook or by crook). Most of the “new” miles will be in Texas, where the river as border and extensive private landownership made barrier much more difficult in the past.

““in the pipeline” fantasies.”

It is patently obvious, that building border wall will take time, and there will necessarily be a “pipeline” of work in progress. Construction does not happen over night. Between groundbreaking and completion, time will elapse (typically years for major construction, which is why construction appropriations are valid for five years). There are also contracting actions (like bidding) required by law and the Federal Acquisition Regulation, that require contracting lead time (typically about a year for Federal construction projects).

Contracting lead time + Construction time = Pipeline.

How many miles do you believe are in these categories? (hint: around 460)

Now that the extensive up-front work of standing up offices to manage the effort, analysis, prioritization, design, specification, land acquisition, legal defense and so on have been largely accomplished, it is mainly a matter of adding enough money, to make more incremental miles real.

As they say in Federal acquisition, a vision without funding, is an hallucination. The funding is the bottom line. It is the hard tangible reality of the acquisition process - not just some hypothetical “recommendation”.

Funding for 529 miles has already been acquired. More is likely coming. Barring a Supreme Court ruling against using the $3.6 billion from Military Construction under the Emergency declaration (unlikely, given the explicit authorization in the law), 529 miles is the least we will ultimately see from President Trump’s first term.

Next year will be an election year, so all bets are off for firm predictions, but I do anticipate something on the order of hundreds of additional miles from next year’s funding - potentially enough to complete the rest of the 1,100 total miles in the Comprehensive Plan.

Congress has been plugging along in 2018 and 2019, appropriating the roughly $1.4 billion dollar annual wedge that is in the underlying ten year budget baseline. I think that is the most likely appropriation (the President has asked for much more, and Senate Republicans have penciled it in so far, but it risks being cut back in reconciliation with the House (who want to claw back funds, rather than give more).

Administrations are historically able to raise a few billion internally for their priorities and the Trump Administration has already demonstrated that it is willing and able to do so for the border wall.

[BeauBo]

“the old barrier did practically nothing to stop people from crossing the border into New Mexico illegally”

It just hampered driving vehicles directly (although ramps were sometimes used).

The new barrier is called “Wall System” because it is a total package of infrastructure, designed to enable “Full Operational Control” where it is installed.

The bollards (with concertina) deters or defeats the common man from climbing, breaching, tunneling or ramming with a vehicle. Alarms and sensors can provide a near 100% detection rate. Lights and cameras (with AI software that alerts operators) allow the command post to identify the threats and monitor engagements. High speed, all weather roads enable response/interdiction before crossers can “disappear”.

The border is radically transformed, where this new system goes in. It is everything that was on the Border Patrol’s wish list - sometimes called “Super Barrier”.

[thingumbob]

That’s awesome to hear. ‘Bout time the Border Patrol got everything they’ve asked for!

[BeauBo]

“As of August 9, 2019, CBP has constructed approximately 57 miles of new border wall system since 2017.”

We started this year building at a rate of about a mile every two weeks. We are now running about two miles per week, and accelerating sharply.

The increasing pace of contract awards has more and more crews working concurrently though, increasing the rate of barrier construction.

Here is a report from yesterday on Fox News, where the Acting CBP Commissioner reports 65 miles complete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RodO1ANqvs

He has been using that number for a few days though, so it might be closer to 66 by now.

We are ramping up toward a rate of about a mile per day (or more) by early next year.

When those 11 projects from the Military construction funds break ground (some of which are multiple segments, with potentially multiple crews working), it is going to be really hard to keep up with an accurate current tally.

The Program is now in the stage of full scale deployment, and the President’s use of extraordinary measures to secure funding, has us off to the races, building the new Trump Super Barrier, where Border Patrol needs it most.

San Diego, the biggest city on the border, will be effectively buttoned up by Christmas. By then we will be chipping into the Rio Grande Valley in earnest (five contracts have already been awarded), and even more so in Yuma, where almost the entire Yuma Sector of the Border is getting 30 foot bollards. The local effects will become quite apparent next year.

Just like the Barrier Program is ramping up quickly this year (full scale deployment phase), so too are the technology Programs. Very powerful new detection, identification and tracking capability is deploying more quickly, and more widely, than is barrier. Although only 1,100 miles are planned for barrier, every mile is planned to be persistently monitored, barrier or not.

Pretty much the entire Arizona border will be brought under persistent surveillance with just the 2019 funding for just one of the many technology Programs (Integrated Fixed Towers).

[CedarDave]

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[morphing libertarian]

Trump campaigned win Build The Wall for 18 months. The day after the election he should have told Turtle and Ryan to provide funds for the wall.

When they didn’t by Jan 21, 2107, he should have declared the emergency then. After a few months letting contracts, we’d have hundreds of miles by now.