On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tweeted images of the border wall prototypes in California that showed a wall ideation well underway.
CBP unveiled plans for the prototyping phase back in September. The new images, taken near the San Diego–Tijuana border, show construction cranes lifting 30-foot-tall concrete slabs. The panels are one of eight wall prototypes that are set to be built and tested. Though all will be between 18 and 30 feet high, four of the walls will be concrete and the rest will be built with other materials.
Progress check: construction of concrete wall prototypes is well underway in San Diego. #BorderSecurity pic.twitter.com/3iVQgjHid7
— CBP (@CustomsBorder) October 3, 2017
The work reflects President Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall on the boundary between the U.S and Mexico to, in CBP’s word’s, “deter illegal crossings.”
“We are committed to securing our borders, and that includes constructing border walls. Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people,” said Ronald Vitiello, CBP acting deputy commissioner, in a September press release that announced prototype construction. “Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border.”
Last month it was revealed that three of the six firms selected to build the prototypes had previously defrauded the government.
Despite the project’s contentiousness, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported no protests yesterday.
The Architect’s Newspaper (AN) is committed to regular, rigorous coverage of the border wall and the controversy that surrounds it. To that end, AN has partnered with El Paso, Texas–based AGENCY to bring readers Border Dispatches, “an on-the-ground perspective from the United States-Mexico border.” Each month, the series explores a critical site or person shaping the mutable binational territory between the two neighboring countries.
For more news, opinion, and information on the border wall, visit archpaper.com/tag/border-wall.
