Appeals court allows $3.6 billion in military funds for border wall

Fox61.com ^ | 01/09/2020 | Travis Pittman

[BeauBo]

175 high priority miles of Trump-style Super Barrier, all teed up, and ready to contract.

The first few (relatively small) contracts using this money have actually already been awarded, and were put on hold. The action of awarding contracts and issuing advance payments is the action that met the legal standard to trigger the lawsuit.

Included among those segments already awarded with this money (but on hold), is an extension of the new San Diego Barriers through the steep gap East of Otay Mesa, to meet up with the next run of pre-existing bollards. That is going to strongly fortify the whole San Diego Sector against any future attempt to organize mob-rush “caravan” attacks, by flooding around the flank of the 14 mile urban barrier.

Currently, it is challenging but still doable to hike around the end of the barrier. After this gap is closed, it would require marathon-like treks through steep and rugged terrain - a very time-consuming option, suitable only to young, athletic adults.

Additional awards using this money will likely come over the next few weeks.

A huge 52 mile segment running North from the Northern Outskirts of Laredo, Texas (starting from the Laredo Colombia Port of Entry) is among those slated to be contracted with this money.

[BeauBo]

"74 Miles of Border Wall Completed"

We are likely somewhere just over 100 miles by now. It is going to be harder to keep track, as more crews are working simultaneously. We are running between 2 to 3 miles per week, and accelerating. This tsunami of money (and even more is coming) is going to ramp up the pace significantly, so we should be running a mile per day or better by the election.

Carla Provost, the Chief of the US Border Patrol (an authoritative source) was providing weekly updates on her twitter feed (@USBPChief), before the holidays. She has not started back with it, but the last one was as of 20 December 2019.

[kiryandil]

To recap this decision:

A Rapin Bill "judge", partisan Democrat Resistance "judge" David Briones, attempted to stop The Wall with a hyperpartisan "decision" on December 10, 2019.

He just got smacked down less than a month later by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judges Edith Jones (a Reagan judge) and Andy Oldham (a Trump judge) - even though a partisan Democrat ClownBammy "judge", Stephen Higginson, tried to stop them.

[1Old Pro]

So there are Republican and democrat judges...

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. BUMP!

[kiryandil]

So there are Republican and democrat judges...

I was going to tell John Roberts, but then that would also destroy his belief in Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy...   

[Eleutheria5]

I thought this was already adjudicated in the Administration’s favor.

[veracious]

Astounding. A federal court figured out that USA defense funds may be spend on defending USAs borders!!!

The only reason for a defense fund is to defend USA borders.

[bakkentom]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2020/01/10/border-wall-acting-homeland-security-chief-chad-wolf-visit-yuma-cbp-mark-morgan/4422676002/

OK enough article on DHS tour of Yuma AZ with 5 border wall systems with 25 miles done so far. Senator Martha McSally on site. Lots of pictures.

The $228.6 million to replace 22 miles of fencing in San Luis came from funds that Congress appropriated in the 2018 budget. Another $121 million to replace the 5 miles at the Colorado River that Wolf visited on Friday came from Pentagon funds that allow the military to build barriers in high trafficking areas.

The fate of the remaining three projects with a combined estimated value of $530 million is still uncertain. That money would cover the construction of 64 miles of 30-foot bollards along the Barry Goldwater Bombing Range and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge in Yuma County.

[BeauBo]

Those big runs of barrier through the Goldwater Range and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, are among the 11 projects (175 miles in total), that this $3.6 billion was for.

All those projects can now move ahead.

Yuma has historically been the third heaviest trafficked corridor for illegals, after the Rio Grande Valley and San Diego.

Not only Yuma City, but the whole Yuma Sector of the Border, is getting lavishly built up with Trump-style Super Barrier - most of it thirty footers, a lot of it double layer Wall system, like in San Diego.

San Diego is scheduled to complete this month, Yuma is about half done (and going gangbusters), while the RGV is just starting up (but fully funded and contracted). So the biggest corridors historically, are scheduled to be buttoned up like never before, by the end of this year - plus hundreds more of the highest priority miles.

On top of this tidal wave of new border barrier, the President just got another $1.4 billion in FY2020 appropriation, and retained the authority to dip into Military accounts again - so billions more are likely coming.

If President Trump taps other sources this year, like he did in 2019 ($6.7 billion extra), it would come to $18 billion total in his first term - inside the range of estimates for the total cost for the wall.