Kamala Harris Initiates $650m For US-Mexico Border Wall Continuation

The political ground of the U.S. is the recent talk of the town and in this heated event, surprising news rolled over the internet. In this recent announcement, Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President and a presidential candidate for upcoming elections has shown interest in the continuation of the U.S-Mexico border construction. 

At the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Kamala did propose the policy decision which is in contrast to her previous criticism against the wall extension construction between the USA and Mexico. Note that the project was primarily proposed and initiated by President Donald Trump during his tenure. 

The policy and statement turnover

Kamala Harris has surprisingly proposed the bill before the convention on the continuation of the left border wall project, which will require around $650 million. This project was passed previously intended to support the U.S. border protection policies. 

This proposal, which came from Kamala, actually left the audience in shock as they had been expecting her to the opposition to this project since it began in 2020. 

In 2020, she even took the social media to express her thoughts that “this project is nothing but a waste of taxpayer’s money.”

But surprisingly Harris’s present plan doesn’t ask for additional funds. The $650 million allotted under the bipartisan bill would instead be used to carry out projects that were either redirected or discontinued during the administration of President Joe Biden. 

Kamala’s campaign team has simply justified that the project needs to be completed that has already been started instead of putting more money on the new projects.

What was Trump’s border wall legacy?

Since Donald Trump initially declared constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a key component of his 2016 presidential campaign, the issue has been troublesome. Following his inauguration in 2017, Trump succeeded in getting Congress to approve a $12.5 billion budget plan that included funding for border security measures, such as building a steel-slate wall along the southern border. This overall plan included everything from labour to the material and to the heavy equipment to be used throughout the project.

Only about 450 miles (724 kilometers) of the border wall were finished after years of construction, the structure’s estimated cost exceeded $10 billion. Following President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021, when he cancelled or reassigned a large portion of the remaining border wall funds, construction on the wall drastically slowed down.

Many contractors, including well-known American companies like SLSCO, Fisher Sand & Gravel, Barnard Work Company, R&L Brosamer, and Kiewit Infrastructure West, completed the work. Notably, PCL Construction, based in Canada, was also involved in the project, highlighting the necessity of international cooperation to finish such a significant infrastructure project. Apart from all the collaboration and funding, the project could not be completed under the designated timeline due to the unstable political situation.

A Democrat-Led Strategy for Border Security

Harris’s initiative to finish the border wall as part of a bipartisan package demonstrates a more complex strategy for immigration and border security that aims to strike a balance between security and humanitarian considerations. Although the Vice President has long supported immigration reform and providing illegal immigrants with a road to citizenship, her backing for the construction of the border wall may be interpreted as a response to security concerns expressed by more conservative voters.

This change in policy is also a reflection of how the political environment surrounding border security is changing. Harris’s proposal would focus on completing current projects to higher standards rather than fully endorsing Trump’s ambition. 

What’s Up Next for the Building of the Border Wall?

It is said by her team that when Kamala Harris wins the 2024 election, her administration will supervise the distribution of $650 million in current border wall money, finishing projects that President Biden either postponed or repurposed. The border security bill’s bipartisanship indicates that it may have widespread political support, especially from people who value border security but disagree with Trump’s approach to it.

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