DHS Secretary Mayorkas attempts to walk back statement regarding ‘immediate need’ for border wall

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas attempted to walk back his statement regarding the “immediate need” for construction of a border wall in South Texas, in a statement Thursday.

In a Thursday filing in the federal register authorizing new border wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, Mayorkas wrote that there was an “immediate need” for such action. Reporters subsequently pressed the Biden administration about the decision after the president pledged he wouldn’t build anymore wall during his tenure.

“I want to address today’s reporting relating to a border wall and be absolutely clear. There is no new Administration policy with respect to border walls. From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer,” Mayorkas said in Thursday’s statement addressing the media’s reporting.

The funding for the project was appropriated in 2019, Mayorkas said. The Biden administration’s latest move includes an action to waive 26 federal laws to allow the construction.

President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday that the administration had made attempts to redirect the appropriated funding for the project, but that ultimately he “can’t stop that.”

“That remains our position and our position has never wavered. The language in the Federal Register notice is being taken out of context and it does not signify any change in policy whatsoever,” Mayorkas added.

Border Patrol recorded roughly 245,000 illegal migrant encounters during fiscal year 2023 in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the filing.

“This Administration believes that effective border security requires a smarter and more comprehensive approach, including state-of the-art border surveillance technology and modernized ports of entry. We need Congress to give us the funds to implement these proven tools,” Mayorkas concluded.

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