Late Friday evening Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced contracts to construct border wall barriers in the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo Sectors, where the illegal immigration crisis is raging, will be canceled.
"Consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) border barrier plan, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), intends to cancel the remaining border barrier contracts located within U.S. Border Patrol’s (USBP) Laredo Sector and all border barrier contracts located in the Rio Grande Valley Sector," DHS released in a statement. "CBP will then begin environmental planning and actions consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for previously planned border barrier system projects located within the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and El Centro Sectors."
DHS is also calling on Congress to cancel all remaining and previously allocated funding for border wall construction.
"Environmental planning activities will cover projects funded with DHS’s Fiscal Year 2018-2021 barrier system appropriations where construction had not started. These activities include additional biological, cultural, and natural resource surveys for project areas where no data have been previously collected. CBP will also conduct comprehensive and targeted outreach with interested stakeholders, including impacted landowners, tribes, state and local elected officials, and federal agencies. These activities will not involve any construction of new border barrier or permanent land acquisition," the statement continues. "The Administration continues to call on Congress to cancel remaining border wall funding and instead fund smarter border security measures, like border technology and modernization of land ports of entry."
Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) is calling to impeach Mayorkas over the move.
DHS Secretary Mayorkas, during a border crisis, is cancelling border wall contracts.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) October 8, 2021
Impeach Mayorkas. pic.twitter.com/YsdsnMMQHi
This year the Rio Grande Valley sector alone has seen more than 550,000 illegal crossings.
Border Encounters for FY21 end with surging numbers... totals per sectors: RGV 555,987 (+494% vs FY20), DRT 263,013 (+521% vs FY20) and EPT 196,505 (+247% vs FY20) @CBP @CBPRGV @FoxNews
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) October 2, 2021
After having covered the border for about 5 months straight now…an observation.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) October 8, 2021
It’s unimaginable what the situation would be like if Texas DPS and the National Guard weren’t deployed.
The Feds do not have even remotely close to the manpower needed to handle this surge.
See also: PHOTOS: Pieces of Unused Border Wall Are Rotting in a Lot