The federal government has constructed security walls and fencing across Washington, DC, in anticipation of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s inauguration on January 20, even as both are opposed to such barriers at the nation’s international borders.
Following riots at the United States Capitol on January 6, the federal government has ordered 25,000 National Guardsmen to Washington, DC, and the construction of barriers around the nation’s historic landmarks to protect from potential unrest.
In photos, crews can be seen erecting barriers with razor wire around the U.S. Capitol. Likewise, similar barriers have been placed along streets in Washington, DC, and around the reflecting pool which sits in between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
While the barriers will be in place through next week’s inauguration, Biden has promised to stop all construction of wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and has claimed that such barriers do not reduce illegal crossings, though federal data indicates otherwise.
In his call to end President Trump’s national emergency at the southern border, Biden claims that “building a wall will do little to deter criminals and cartels seeking to exploit our borders.”
Similarly, Harris has criticized wall construction at the U.S.-Mexico border as well. Specifically, in 2019, Harris blasted the Trump administration for stationing American troops at the border and for using concertina wire along barriers to help deter illegal crossings. These are the same two tactics now being used in Washington, DC, to protect the Biden-Harris inauguration.
Photos below show the extent of security in the nation’s capital:
Razor wire is seen topping security fence, after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol, in preparation for next week’s Presidential inauguration a week on January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Razor wire is installed atop a security fence in preparation for next week’s Presidential inauguration a week after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol, January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Razor wire is installed atop a security fence in preparation for next week’s Presidential inauguration a week after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol, January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Razor wire has been installed on the fence surrounding the grounds of the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Barbed wire is installed on the top of a security fence surrounding the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 14, 2021, ahead of next week’s presidential inauguration of Joe Biden. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Fencing is set up near the White House on January 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. Due to security concerns, the National Mall will be closed on Inauguration Day, as people are encouraged to view inaugural events from their home. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Barbed wire is installed on the top of a security fence surrounding the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 15, 2021, ahead of presidential inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Flowers are placed along the razor wire fencing that now surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
Razor wire is seen after being installed on the fence surrounding the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Razor wire fencing surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
A flower rests on the raze wire fencing that now surrounds the US Capitol ahead of the inauguration on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
Fencing, barriers and Nation Guard at the Pennsylvania Ave entrance of the US Capitol ahead of the inauguration on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
A member of the National Guard stands guard behind a fence toped with razor wire on Capitol Hill a week after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Razor is installed atop a security fence in preparation for next week’s Presidential inauguration a week after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
People walk past a checkpoint while it’s constructed as security preparations are made for the inauguration of Joe Biden as US President January 15, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Independence Avenue is virtually empty on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Fencing surrounds the reflecting pool on January 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Flowers are placed along the razor wire fencing that now surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. After last week’s Capitol Riot the FBI has warned of additional threats against the US Capitol and in all 50 states. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
Visitors stand along fencing surrounding the reflecting pool on January 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
Razor wire is seen topping security fence, after a pro-Trump mob broke into and took over the Capitol, in preparation for next week’s Presidential inauguration a week on January 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Razor wire fencing surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
A VA National Guard soldier stands outside the razor wire fencing that surrounds the US Capitol on January 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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