The US administration announced on Thursday its plans to add a new section to the border wall with Mexico, a project that was a cornerstone during former President Donald Trump's tenure, aimed at curbing illegal immigration.
Immediate reactions followed the announcement, especially as President Joe Biden had declared upon taking office in January 2021 that taxpayers would no longer fund the construction of a border wall.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated in an official text released by the US Federal Register that there is a need at this time for essential and immediate construction of barriers and roads along the southern border of the United States to prevent unlawful entry.
He added that the new section would be constructed in the Rio Grande Valley, an area that sees a significant portion of unlawful entries along the US-Mexico border.
He reiterated his belief that building walls does not offer a solution to the immigration crisis.
Another White House spokesperson, Andrew Bates, on the social media platform "Koo," deemed claims of a deviation as completely false, adding that Congress compels us to do so under a 2019 law.
Later on Thursday, López Obrador is set to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss issues surrounding illegal immigration and the smuggling of the drug fentanyl, which both countries are grappling with.
More than 145,000 attempts at illegal entry from Mexico to the United States were recorded over a 10-month period until the beginning of August, according to the US Secretary of Homeland Security.
Unauthorized immigration remains a growing political challenge for Biden, who is seeking a second term and has faced accusations from Republicans of laxness on the matter.
Follow the latest news on Google News
