(Headline USA) Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced a bill this week that would allow states to use border wall materials abandoned by the Biden administration to finish sections of the wall.
The BUILD IT Act would make the materials, which were purchased during the Trump administration and have been sitting unused ever since President Joe Biden took office, available to states that wish to ramp up physical enforcement along the southern border.
“The Federal Government shall deliver to the governments of Arizona, of California, of New Mexico, and of Texas, upon request, any materials associated with the construction of the physical barrier along the international border between the United States and Mexico,” the bill reads.
Of those, only Republican-run Texas is likely to take up the offer, should the bill somehow manage to clear the Democrat-led U.S. Senate.
The bill also says the government can’t charge states for the delivery of the materials.
“It’s a simple solution,” Ernst said in a statement.
Republican border states have been fighting to complete Trump’s border wall for the past two years, but have met resistance from the Biden administration.
In July 2022, for example, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey over a makeshift border wall Arizona had created from shipping containers.
However, Ducey’s replacement following the 2022 election, far-left Gov. Katie Hobbs, was happy to comply with the Biden administration’s demands that they be removed.
Ernst has also advocated for an extension of Title 42—a Trump-era policy allowing border officials to immediately expel immigrants who do not qualify for asylum—which is set to expire on Thursday.
“This will be an impact to the border communities initially as they are trying to absorb all these migrants,” Ernst said. “It is already a humanitarian crisis. It will increase exponentially next week.”
Ernst warned that drug cartels would take advantage of Title 42’s expiration to smuggle more immigrants into the country illegally.
“Many of these people have been coached by the cartels to claim asylum,” she said. “They will never show up in court. They will be turned out into the United States.”
