The builders of Donald Trump's Mexico border wall are reportedly in crisis talks after President-elect Joe Biden pledged to end the construction of the project.
According to The Washington Post, officials from the US Customs and Border Protection and the US Army Corps of Engineers have confirmed that the wall will remain incomplete in areas that construction crews will be unable to finish before Biden's inauguration on January 20.
The effectiveness of the wall was questioned by many when an eight-year-old was filmed climbing up this replica:Army Corps spokeswoman Raini Brunson stated:
"The termination clause permits the government to exercise its right to terminate the contract for its convenience. If terminated for convenience, the contractor is entitled to submit a request for termination settlement costs."
Meanwhile, a CBP spokesperson told The Post: "We’re looking at project timelines, estimated construction completion, and looking to prioritize segments of the wall to minimize the potential threats created by a stoppage."
In a statement made to The Independent, another CPD spokesperson confirmed that the majority of contracts have already been awarded, and that construction is currently underway for the 738 miles funded to date.
The CPD is still expected to finish an additional 30 miles of the wall, adding to the six miles already built in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Trump administration has received approximately $15 billion in funding from the Pentagon and Congress to build 738 miles of the 30-foot-high steel bollard fencing after Trump pledged to construct a wall on the border to deter illegal immigration.
In August of 2020, Biden vowed to end construction on the wall during an interview with journalists from the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Biden stated: "There will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration.
"I'm going to make sure that we have border protection, but it's going to be based on making sure that we use the high-tech capacity to deal with it. And at the ports of entry - that's where all the bad stuff is happening."
