Rusted border bollards, stacked high in various holding yards across the Rio Grande Valley, will not be auctioned off, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official.
President-elect Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration this week for allegedly auctioning off border wall bollards in Arizona, according to recent reports.
According to a CBP official, the steel bollards in South Texas are not included in those sales.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official clarified that the panels in Texas are not connected to the current sale in Arizona.
CBP owns the material in Texas for the purpose of border security initiatives.
It is highly possible that this could be a part of the upcoming border wall expansion that will be carried out by the incoming Trump administration.
President-elect Trump made a campaign promise to strengthen border security, and it is anticipated that he will follow through by expanding the border wall upon his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Approximately 450 miles of new border wall were constructed along the Southwest U.S./Mexico border during his first term.
After taking office, President Biden halted the border wall’s expansion, leaving behind surplus materials that currently rest in various storage yards along the Rio Grande. These materials are stacked several feet high and have been subjected to the harsh effects of the sun and rain, resulting in rusting.
The Biden administration is currently focused on constructing a new border wall in South Texas. This decision is based on the approval of funds by Congress in Fiscal Year 2019, which specifically allocated the money for the construction of a border wall in this rural county.
Since 2023, the Biden administration has been actively pursuing the construction of nearly 20 miles of border wall in Starr County. In order to proceed with the project, the administration has made the decision to waive certain environmental regulations. Nevertheless, the acquisition of land from private landowners remains a crucial step in the process.
The bollards in Arizona, which are said to be up for auction, are actually owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a division of the Department of Defense. The funding for storage facilities containing this surplus material has been discontinued, leading to the decision to auction off the bollards.