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Noem fast tracks certain portions of border wall construction

Thu Apr 10 2025
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Quick Hit:

The Trump administration is accelerating the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, waiving environmental rules to jumpstart critical segments in California. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem authorized the move.

Key Details:

  • DHS is bypassing environmental laws to speed up 2.5 miles of border wall construction near San Diego.
  • The waiver is the first used under Trump’s second term and applies to three major wall segments.
  • Migrant crossings hit historic lows, with just 7,180 recorded in March and daily apprehensions around 230.

Diving Deeper:

The Trump administration is making swift moves to resume border wall construction, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem authorizing the first environmental waiver of President Trump’s second term to expedite development along a strategic portion of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday that it will waive environmental restrictions to fast-track approximately 2.5 miles of border wall projects near San Diego. The construction targets several key gaps in the San Diego Sector, including two miles at the Jacumba Gap, up to 1,500 feet at another sector site, and 350 feet at Smugglers Gulch — areas flagged for high levels of illegal crossings throughout 2024.

“There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct additional physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries,” Secretary Noem stated in the notice published in the Federal Register. She added that acting under the authority granted by Congress, the waiver clears the path for urgent infrastructure development.

This move underscores President Trump’s commitment to immigration enforcement and border security, central tenets of both his first and second terms. On Day One of his return to the White House, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, reversing the Biden-era order that halted funding for wall construction.

In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) awarded its first new border wall contract under the revived Trump administration — a $70 million agreement to build seven miles of barrier in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Since Trump’s return to office, the administration has reported record-breaking declines in illegal crossings. In March, only 7,180 migrants were encountered at the southern border, averaging just 230 apprehensions per day — the lowest daily number ever recorded in U.S. history.

The DHS emphasized that fast-tracking these projects is essential to maintaining control of the border. “This waiver clears the path for the rapid deployment of physical barriers where they are needed most,” the department said, citing the urgency to bypass red tape such as the National Environmental Policy Act, which can delay construction for months or even years.

 

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