President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will spend American taxpayer money, allocated to construct a border wall along the United States-Mexico border, on “environmental restoration,” among other projects.
On Tuesday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that DHS would use billions of taxpayer dollars that were allocated to construct border wall on various other projects — none of which include constructing border wall.
The border wall funding will now go towards:
Ensuring power is fully restored to municipalities on both sides of the border along the El Centro Sector Utility Relocation Project. [Emphasis added]
Addressing numerous serious safety risks and environmental restoration issues at the Rio Grande Valley Sector Make Safe and Punch List Project.
[Emphasis added]Powering San Diego Secondary Gates and Replacing Drainage Grates to ensure that 33 vehicle gates that have been hung and built within the San Diego Secondary barrier alignment are operable and necessary work to address life, safety, environmental, or other remediation is carried out. Once completed, these gates will provide Border Patrol Agents with critical access and mitigate life and safety risk for agents and migrants who may need emergency assistance in the area. In addition, there are 15 drainage grates requiring replacement and repairs in this same area that pose a risk to migrants and agents. [Emphasis added]
Repairing and reinforcing a small fence between existing San Diego border segments. [Emphasis added]
Mayorkas said in a statement:
These projects are reflective of the commitment of DHS to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of communities along the border, individuals encountered there, and our Border Patrol Agents who patrol the area. We remain focused on securing the border and keeping communities safe.
Last month, Mayorkas said DHS was returning more than $10 billion allocated to border wall construction to the Department of Defense. The other funding allocated for border wall construction, more than $5 billion, is now being spent by the agency on these projects.
Weeks ago, House Democrats passed a Homeland Security budget that strips previously-allocated border wall funding from DHS and transfers it to be spent on plants that have been damaged by illegal aliens, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) detailed. She said:
So where is this money going when it’s ripped from [Customs and Border Protection’s] anemic budget? It is instead going to plants that have been trampled by illegal immigrants.It’s certainly not being used as I believe it was intended to be used which is to secure our border.
In January, Biden halted all border wall construction. A Senate Homeland Security Committee report released this week reveals that the Biden administration is spending $2 billion to not continue building border wall to stem illegal immigration.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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