Border wall upgrades coming to El Centro Sector
The Department of Homeland Security has issued two waivers to accelerate border wall projects within the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Centro and Tucson Sectors.
These waivers come at the heels of the El Centro Sectors announcement of a new upgrade to the Calexico Border wall.
The projects covered by the Department of Homeland Security’s waiver include 15 miles of the Calexico border wall.
The DHS says the El Centro Sector is experiencing large numbers of individuals and narcotics being smuggled into the country illegally.
DHS says it will continue to implement president Trump’s executive order to improve border security and prevent illegal border crossings.
Last week the El Centro Sector Border Patrol announced it would be starting the upgrade of 11 miles of border wall in Calexico next month.
David Kim, assistant chief patrol agent from the El Centro Sector, says the new project will be similar to the previous upgrade near the Gran Plaza Outlets in Calexico.
He says the upgrade completed to the 2 miles of the border wall has proven successful.
The upgraded panels are 30 feet high and include the see-through bollard style wall president Trump advocated for and came to visit last month.
According to El Centro Sector Border Patrol, the area that was upgraded was among the highest in assaults against U.S. border patrol agents in 2018.
“We have seen a decrease in activity in the upgraded area,” said Anthony S. Garcia, border patrol for the El Centro Sector.
In the first 90 days of the 2.2 mile project near The Gran Plaza Outlets there was approximately a 64% reduction, which dramatically increased the border security in this area,” said Garcia.
Kim says the new 30-foot steel wall will be replacing the current legacy wall that is no longer adequate and was installed over 20 years ago.
The DHS’s new waiver for the El Centro Sector includes improvements to lighting, cameras, and sensors along the southwest border. The DHS says funding for these projects will come from The Department of Defense.
The project the El Centro Sector Border Patrol has planned starts next month and is expected to be completed by August.
