Trump hits 450-mile goal for 2020 border wall construction

President Trump fulfilled a promise to install 450 miles of border wall along the U. S.-Mexico boundary by the end of 2020, according to the country's top border official.

Construction workers put up the 450th mile of fencing in the final days of December, acting U. S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a private call with several reporters Tuesday morning.

"Myself and the deputy commissioner, leaders here, we found out about it — we were briefed on Dec. 31 that we had actually reached the goal, and we had accomplished what we set out to accomplish," Morgan said.

"I remember every time that I said with confidence that I, without hesitation, that we were going to accomplish this goal by Dec. 31," Morgan said. "We were going to put 450 miles of steel and concrete along with all the essential attributes of the wall system Dec. 31. We were challenged, and a lot of people didn't think we're going to be able to do it. ... That is a remarkable achievement."

The construction represents a partial fulfillment of Trump's campaign promises. Trump vowed as a candidate to put up 1,000 miles of wall on the nearly 2,000-mile border, which stretches from the Pacific Coast in California to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. He also said he would get it done for $4 billion. To date, 738 miles of border wall has been funded for $15 billion. Four hundred and fifty miles of the 738 have been completed.

More than 340 miles of the 450 total newly installed miles are in the place of older fencing, while 40 miles are brand new in previously unsecured areas. The remaining 50-plus miles are secondary fencing or duplicate barriers put up behind the main fence.

The completion is noteworthy given how slow progress was in the first three years of the Trump administration and indicates a surge over the past 12 months. The Trump administration had put up 100 miles of completed wall as of January 2020.

“President Trump took office with the promise to build the wall and secure our southern border — a promise he has kept," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement Tuesday morning. "From the start, the president listened to operators on the ground and has pushed for funding for physical infrastructure, access roads, lights, cameras and sensors — a full package to secure our border."

Trump vowed in July 2020 to “have over 450 miles built by the end of the year.” Between January ... (Read more)

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