“A fence that is impenetrable, it’s unscalable.”
Roy Villareal, acting chief patrol agent of the San Diego border sector, uses these words to describe President Trump’s vision for the a new border-wall between the United States and Mexico.
According to the Washington Post, the present wall is roughly 10 feet tall made out of metal sheets left over from old helicopter landing pads from the Vietnam War. A second layer of more modern steel stands behind it about 14 to 18 feet high. The wall to many is in dire need of an upgrade.
According to officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, the two ply system in San Diego was “compromised” some 550 times in the past fiscal year, cut open by axes, motorized saws, and blowtorches.
President Trump currently has eight different prototypes for a new wall under construction. The plan is to choose one or possibly incorporate a few characteristics of each into one new wall. Currently the Department of Homeland Security is paying for the prototypes which cost up to $500,000 each. The estimated cost for the new border wall in whole, has ranged up to $38 billion.
Each company has been given a 65-by-65-foot portion of ground to build their prototypes. The different walls are 30 feet high made of concrete and steel. Some with reinforced bases and others topped with metal spikes.
These walls may look ominous; however, some feel that it won’t prevent people from illegally crossing.
“People are still going to cross no matter what is there” said Kevin Avila Rodriguez, who lives near the spot where the new prototypes are being built.
No matter these views, many view the wall as a good effort towards cutting down on illegal immigration.
Villareal hopes the wall can cut down on the 70 to 100 illegal immigrants apprehended in his sector each day.