‘There is a huge return on investment…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) President Donald Trump’s southern border wall is working, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Border Wall System update:
▫️ 131 miles completed
▫️ 208 miles under construction
▫️ 414 miles in pre-construction pic.twitter.com/QdZVAdWRrj— Chief Rodney Scott (@USBPChief) March 2, 2020
The new chief of Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, revealed that recently constructed parts of the “wall system” have blocked 90% of border crossings over the past year. Before it was built, the border stopped less than 10% of illegal crossings.
“It changes everything,” Scott said in a statement, according to the Washington Examiner. “There is a huge return on investment.”
The border wall is just one of many steps the Trump administration has taken to effectively reduce the number of illegal border crossings.
In Yuma, Ariz., one of the regions known for its high level of crossings, border agents have noticed a significant decrease in the flow of migrant family units.
Border crossings in the Yuma sector surpassed 144,000 in May, one month after the city first declared a state of emergency. But since then, the numbers have sharply declined. As of November, border crossings had decreased by 71 percent, according to Fox News.
The border wall has also reduced the influx of crime in certain areas. Drug cartels have had to change tactics, Scott said, and now they are building expensive tunnels to sneak drug-laden vehicles into the U.S. This has not been effective, though, according to Scott.
“It shut down that entire threat. Anywhere we built the border wall system, the first thing it does is shut off those drive-throughs,” he said.
“The second thing is, it shuts off massive amounts of people coming through at the same time,” he added. “So, it’s forced the drug cartels, especially El Chapo’s group, Sinaloa, to shift tactics.”