Trump's promised "impenetrable" wall has proven to be anything but.
Writing in High Country News, Jonathan Thompson evaluates the failures of Trump's proposed border wall, a "boondoggle" that has cost millions of dollars, disrupted cross-border human and animal communities and migration patterns, and met with resistance from property owners all along the way.
Despite Trump's promise that the "impregnable" wall would span the full length of the U.S.-Mexico border, his administration managed to build about 450 miles of barrier, "none of which was concrete and all of which was demonstrably pregnable." Furthermore, evidence suggests that the hundreds of miles of barriers built under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush "did very little to stop undocumented migration, in part because at least two-thirds of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. arrived on visas and then overstayed them." Yet since 2017, close to $15 billion have been appropriated to border wall construction by Congress.
Immediately after his inauguration, President Biden halted further construction of the border wall through an executive order. "Now, many observers are urging him to go further and dismantle the barrier, as well as try to repair the damage done."
FULL STORY: Border barrier boondoggle
Department of Homeland Security Will Skip Environmental Review for the Border Wall
Also, the House of Representatives has approved the funding president trump wants for the wall, but the Senate is likely to balk.
Report: Trump Willing to Break the Rules to Build Border Wall
Transit agencies, affordable housing developers, and many others might be envious of the kind of leeway sources say President Trump is willing to grant in the name of project delivery.
Homeland Security Waives More Than 30 Laws to Expedite Border Wall
In the drive to begin construction in New Mexico, the Trump Administration has bypassed dozens of federal environmental regulations.
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.
Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.
Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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