DEMING, New Mexico — Millions of dollars of steel are wasting away in the high desert after being neglected by the federal government for two and a half years since President Joe Biden halted Trump-era border wall construction.
In the 901 days since Biden took office, not one has gone by that fourth-generation cattle rancher Russell Johnson has driven his truck down the dirt roads behind his house and not been greeted by fields of construction materials that have been left behind and forgotten by construction crews.
"I don’t think they have any idea," Johnson said when asked if the White House or Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas knew about the abandoned materials."Secretary Mayorkas has never been out here."The 30-foot-tall wall runs 100 miles along Highway 9 from El Paso, Texas, west into central New Mexico, where it gives way to a giant opening on Johnson's property that runs along the border. Nearly a mile of his more than eight miles of land has no wall.
Johnson said U.S. Customs and Border Protection installed a gate in the smaller gap within the last two weeks, but the consequences linger of it being open for so long. The portion of the wall that was installed in place of barbed wire fencing was a huge relief for ranchers like Johnson for how it would prevent cattle in Mexico from slipping into the U.S. through fencing that was cut by smugglers.
Other projects, such as installing culverts under floodgates to ensure water can flow through, are being added. Dozens of floodgates in the wall are welded shut and frequently cut off by smugglers who break through. Permanent locks on the gates have yet to be installed, Johnson said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump warns Biden that ‘gloves are off’ in speech moments before spectating UFC fight“We have a corrupt, incompetent leader in Biden,” Trump told supporters in the battleground state.
Read more »
Poll: Trump Leads Biden in Swing StatesFormer President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden in swing states, the latest Echelon Insights survey revealed.
Read more »
Christie stands by FBI director and calls out Trump for 2020 loss to BidenFormer N.J. Gov. Chris Christie slammed former President Donald Trump's White House run and doubled down on his support of FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Read more »
Ron DeSantis accuses Trump administration 'colluding' with big tech in Hunter Biden scandalGov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has accused the Trump administration of conspiring with big-tech corporations to help bury the Hunter Biden scandal in 2020.
Read more »
AOC claims DeSantis 'can't out-Trump Trump' in 2024 Republican primaryRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claimed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot simply 'out-Trump' former President Donald Trump as the two Republicans compete in the party's 2024 presidential primary race.
Read more »