WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s administration said on Thursday it will add sections to a border wall to stave off record migrant crossings from Mexico, a reversal that embraces a signature policy of former President Donald Trump.

Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination to challenge Biden, a Democrat, in the 2024 presidential race. Trump made building border barriers a central tenet of his first campaign for president with the rally chant, “Build That Wall.”

One of Biden’s first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to issue a proclamation pledging that “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall” as well as a review of all resources that had already been committed. Trump was quick to claim victory and demand an apology.

Current US president had pledged no more taxpayer funds would be diverted to construct the wall

“As I have stated often, over thousands of years, there are only two things that have consistently worked, wheels, and walls!” Trump wrote on social media. “Will Joe Biden apologise to me and America for taking so long to get moving...” Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the move “a step backwards.” The administration said the action did not deviate from Biden’s proclamation because money that was allocated during Trump’s term in 2019 had to be spent now.

Asked by reporters if the border wall works, Biden said “no,” but that the administration had to use the money. I can’t stop that,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2023