Soon after being elected, President Biden ordered that all construction of the border wall be stopped immediately. For those of us living near the construction sites, it was eerie to see work stop from one day to the next. Work was left half done. Of course, the sudden cessation was not without consequences.
In many of the areas in Texas where the border wall is constructed, the land being used belongs to International Water and Boundary Commission. Some of the land was privately owned. Of the land belonging to the IBWC, much of it had systems of levees and flood ways built to protect against the occasional surge in the Rio Grande that would result in flooding entire communities along the border. The levees were compromised during construction, leaving them unfit for purpose. These would be restored to their protective capacity upon completion of the border wall. However, the indiscriminate stoppage of construction also meant that restoring the levees could not be done.
Recently, President Biden has ordered the resumption of work to finish the border wall in some places. It is unknown what the deciding factor was in the decision, whether it was the safety of the communities from flooding, or the growing immigrant crisis. Whatever the cause, we can rest easier now knowing that we do not have to worry about flooding or human trafficking in the areas where the wall will be completed.
