The new secretary of Homeland Security has issued a set of memos calling for the agency to begin construction of a border wall. Efforts will be focused in El Paso, Texas, Tucson Arizona, and El Centro, California.
The order was issued through a memo sent by DHS Secretary John Kelly to his his various department heads. The memo, as well as others addressing the new priorities have been posted on the department’s website.
“DHS will immediately identify and allocate all sources of available funding for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of a wall, including the attendant lighting, technology (including sensors) as well as patrol and access roads, and develop requirements for total ownership costs of this project,” the document notes.
According to information released by DHS, the construction of the wall will take place in areas where the existing fencing is no longer effective. The agency has already identified funding to begin the immediate construction of the wall.
Secretary Kelly also called for a comprehensive study of border security to identify vulnerabilities and border security enhancement opportunities.
“This will include all aspects of the current border security environment including the availability of of federal and state resources to develop and implement an effective border security strategy that will achieve operational control of the border,” the memo notes.
The assessment is scheduled to be concluded within 180 days.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.