Pentagon will cancel all Trump border wall projects paid for by diverting military funds and return $14 billion to the Department of Defense as migrant crisis spirals
https://www.dailymail.co.uk ^ | 01 May 2021 | StaffThe Pentagon is to cancel all US-Mexico border wall construction projects paid for using military funds
Former President Donald Trump ordered the diversion of billions of dollars in Pentagon money to pay for the barrier after being denied funding by Congress
President Joe Biden announced a halt to border wall construction after taking office in January
Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015 with a pledge to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and to make Mexico pay for it
Mexico refused and so did the House of Representatives after Democrats took control in 2018
Trump ultimately bypassed Congress by dipping directly into Pentagon coffers, forcing the Defense Department to allocate billions of dollars for the project
President Biden's cancellation comes into effect as over 172,000 migrants were arrested in March - the highest figure in 20 years
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Pentagon officials are canceling construction of Donald Trump's border wall with funds the ex-president diverted form the military and diverting an unspent $14 billion back to the Department of Justice.
A spokesman said Friday: 'Border wall construction under the previous administration tied up more than $14 billion in taxpayer funds, shortchanged our military, and diverted attention away from genuine security challenges, like human traffickers. Rushed and haphazard wall construction also resulted in serious life, safety, and environmental issues,' the official said.
Trump declared a national emergency in 2019 in an effort to redirect funding to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.
Biden's cancellation of his flagship project came weeks after the US announced it had arrested more migrants who crossed the southern border than in any month since 2001. More than 172,000 people were detained after crossing into the country from Mexico during March.
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