US President Joe Biden’s administration is to build a section of border wall in southern Texas in an effort to stop rising levels of immigration.
Around 20 miles (32km) will be built in Starr County along its border with Mexico, where officials report high numbers of crossings.
Building a border wall was a signature policy of Donald Trump as president and fiercely opposed by Democrats.
In 2020, Biden promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected.
His administration passed a proclamation soon after taking office that said building a wall across the southern border “is not a serious policy solution”.
In a statement to Associated News on Wednesday night, the US Customs and Border Protection defended the latest move, saying it was using funds already allocated for a border barrier.
“Congress appropriated fiscal year 2019 funds for the construction of border barrier in the Rio Grande Valley, and DHS is required to use those funds for their appropriated purpose,” the statement said.
The rising number of illegal border crossings has made the issue a vulnerable one for the president.
More than 245,000 crossings have been made this year in the Rio Grande Valley area alone, government data shows, and September is expected to be a record month.
Several US cities say they are feeling the strain of the influx.
It is the first time the Biden administration has used its powers to approve the construction of new walls – something that was done often during Trump’s time in office when around 50 miles of the new wall was built and 400 miles of existing barriers were upgraded.
(BBC)
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