On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said that prototypes of what sections on the border wall with Mexico will look like will be completed by late summer. Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said up to eight prototypes will be up by September so that DHS can decide which design is best for building hundreds of miles of new barrier along the border.
“We’re leaning on industry to show what’s possible and doable. There are places like Big Bend, Texas, where a deep river canyon along the border means fencing is just not practical or necessary. The natural barrier already slows people down as they’re trying to cross the border,” Vitiello said.
In an event in Iowa, President Trump said the wall might include solar panels to generate electricity. Vitiello declined to say whether solar panels would be incorporated, however maintained that contractors were being encouraged to innovate and noted that some companies had suggested they might include this technology.
“We’re talking about the southern border — lots of sun, lots of heat. We’re thinking about building the wall as a solar wall, so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money,” said President Trump in Iowa.
The current administration’s 2018 budget seeks $1.8 billion to begin building the new sections of the wall and replacing existing ones. White House officials have suggested that the entire wall project could cost between $8 and $12 billion.
Recent Comments