Homeland Security unveils border-wall prototypes
OTAY MESA — The first phase in carrying out President Donald Trump’s border wall along several areas of the country was unveiled here Thursday.
With only media invited to the event, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald D. Vitiello toured the eight prototypes that are located within 50 yards of the existing border fence here.
“The biggest impression I got is how big they are,” he told media of the prototypes that dwarf the existing fence, which stands at roughly 10 feet and consists of only a metal fence.
A second see-through fence is also located near the original fence and stands at about 18 feet tall, but is still penetrable and over two decades old.
Next will come the testing of the prototypes that Vitiello said will come in the next few weeks. He said some of the structures were completed only a few days ago and still need the concrete to completely “settle.”
“A lot of things have to happen now … testing, evaluation, estimates, appropriation. We will do it all as quickly and safely as we can to give as much security to the homelands as we can,” he said.
The testing will last between 30 to 60 days. Vitiello said they will determine which wall deters climbing, digging and tunneling the best. He added Homeland Security Department could take different attributes from some of the prototypes to engineer one wall and subsequently submit a request to Congress.
“This is going to give us more tools in the tool kit,” he said. “This adds to our knowledge and capability.”
Even if the department’s request is denied, it could incorporate the prototypes into new or replacement sections of the existing wall on the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico.
It could also use some of the prototypes on different locations, depending on the terrain and which model is best suited for it.
The prototypes
The eight prototypes stand between 18 and 30 feet and are at least six feet deep to prevent tunneling.
Four of the walls are constructed of concrete while the others are a combination of concrete, metal and other materials.
Each cost up to $500,000. The prototypes will be incorporated into the existing fence once the testing is complete.
Next steps
Once the Department of Homeland Security submits a request for the border wall to Congress, it will turn into a waiting game.
Congress has shown little interest in paying for the entire project the White House is saying will cost between $8 and $12 billion.
However, DHS reports suggest the overall cost is closer to $21 billion.
The White House’s proposed budget calls for $1.8 billion for new sections of the wall and replacement of outdated sections.
That includes the three-mile stretch behind the Grand Plaza Outlets in Calexico.
There, the government will replace an airstrip landing-mat style fence about 14 feet high with a bollard-style fence up to 25 feet high. It plans to award a contract in November and begin construction in February.
The U.S. Border Patrol El Centro Sector, which oversees the integrity of the 70-mile stretch of international boundary, has previously stated the three-mile border fence in question is the most dangerous section to patrol.
That particular project is also facing opposition from several environmental groups and state Attorney General Xavier Becerra with separate, but similar lawsuits.
Those lawsuits are still in the court process.
A wall alone won’t secure the border
Vitiello stressed Thursday a wall alone won’t secure the border.
“If you don’t leave with any other message from us here, recognize that it isn’t just concrete and steel what’s reflected here,” he said. “We need to have the sensors, the cameras, the patrol roads and obviously the agents that make the difference.”
There are currently 654 miles of single layer fence on the 1,954-mile border with Mexico, with 51 miles of doubleand triple-layer fencing.
“I know from my experience that when these barriers are effectively resourced with the technology and agent response with their mission readiness, that it works,” Vitiello said. “You have to have the right mix of those technologies.”