Cartels taking advantage of open border to smuggle fentanyl
FOX News correspondent Griff Jenkins reports from the Texas-Mexico border on the unprecedented migrant surge overflowing shelter capacities.
The Biden administration is being mocked for announcing border wall construction in Texas after President Biden and other Democrats publicly opposed the idea.
Department of Homeland Secruity (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated in a notice that there was an "acute and immediate need" to waive dozens of federal laws to build a border wall in south Texas where illegal migration has surged.
"There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas pursuant to sections 102(a) and 102(b) of IIRIRA (Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996)," Mayorkas said.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN CALLS OUT 'CROOKED JOE BIDEN' AFTER ADMIN STRESSES 'IMMEDIATE NEED' FOR BORDER WALL
The Biden administration has announced the construction of additional miles of border wall along the southern Texas border despite the president previously opposing the idea. (Katie McTiernan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images | Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The administration had put a halt to new border wall construction in early 2021, after Biden had promised as a presidential candidate that there would "not be another foot of wall constructed [in] my administration."
The administration said wall construction under the Trump administration was "just one example of the prior administration’s misplaced priorities and failure to manage migration in a safe, orderly and humane way."
Political commentators and media figures called out the Biden administration for its heel turn.
"Remarkable," Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "4 years ago this was 'racist.' Now they’re advocating for it."
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas released a statement saying there was an "immediate need" to construct additional miles of a border wall in south Texas. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"Gee, maybe they shouldn’t have sold all the border wall parts," Rugg said, while also asking what the country would look like had the administration announced this earlier.
"How times have changed," Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X, the social media site he owns.
"Where isn’t the left accusing the Biden admin of racism and fascism for wanting a border wall?" conservative influencer duo the Hodgetwins wrote.
"Joe Biden unleashed chaos at our border for 3 years," William Martin, the communications director for Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio., wrote. "Now that [Biden's] staring down a massive loss to [Trump] in 2024 he thinks he can change his tune. It's disgusting - but it won't work. Joe Biden has zero credibility when it comes to securing the border."
"President Trump is always right," a Trump campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "That’s why he built close to 500 miles of powerful new wall on the border, and it would have been finished by now. Instead, Crooked Joe Biden turned our country into one giant sanctuary for dangerous criminal aliens."
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Mayorkas "issued an IIRIRA waiver for a barrier project previously announced in June, which will be constructed on approximately 17 miles in Starr County, Texas."
The statement continued: "This project is consistent with DHS’s plan to fulfill the requirements of President Biden’s Proclamation (Proclamation No. 10142, 86 Fed. Reg. 7225 (Jan. 20, 2021)), which ended the diversion of funds for border wall from military projects or other sources while calling for the expenditure of any funds Congress appropriated for barrier construction consistent with their appropriated purpose. CBP remains committed to protecting the nation’s cultural and natural resources and will implement sound environmental practices as part of the project covered by this waiver."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.