The Independent View: Smugglers Sawed into San Diego Trump's Border Wall 18 Times in One Month

Smugglers sawed into New Sections of President Trump’s Border Wall 18 times in the San Diego area during a One-month Span late last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Records obtained by The Washington Post via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The Breaches and attempted Breaches were made between Sept. 27th and Oct. 27th, according to CBP records, with Five of the Incidents occurring on a Single Day, Oct. 10th. The Agency withheld information about the Specific Locations of the Incidents, citing Law Enforcement Sensitivities. The Agency said the Average Cost to Repair the Damage was $620 per Incident.

The Records do Not indicate whether the One-Month Span last year is a Representative Sample of how Frequently People are trying to Breach New Sections of Trump’s Border Barrier, which are made of Tall Steel Bollards partially filled with Concrete and Rebar. Last November Smuggling Crews armed with Common Battery-operated Power Tools, including Reciprocating Saws that retail for as little as $100 at Home Improvement Stores can Cut through the Bollards using Inexpensive Blades designed for Slicing through Metal and Stone.

The Request for 2019 only showed the 18 Breach Time Span. But CBP Officials and Border Agents have Privately Acknowledged more Repeated Breaches and Breaching Attempts during that Time Span in the San Diego area. CBP said the 18 Incidents were a Count of Smuggling Attempts that required the U.S. Government to Repair the Structure and did Not necessarily Represent successful Breaches that allowed Narcotics or Migrants to Illegally enter the U.S.

“Transnational criminal organizations are an adaptive adversary — regardless of materials, nothing is impenetrable if given unlimited time and tools,” according to a CBP Statement. The Agency said that is why the U.S. Border Patrol is Building a “border wall system that includes technology, roads and an enforcement zone. Taken together, these capabilities maximize how long agents have to respond to attempted crossings — increasing the time they have from mere seconds to minutes, hours or even days depending on the adversary’s methods.”

The San Diego area has the Most Fortified Barriers anywhere along the Border with Mexico. Recently completed Sections feature Twin Layers of Steel Bollard Fencing as tall as 30 feet, with a Paved Road running between them that allows U.S. Agents to quickly respond to Scaling and Breaching Incidents.

The CBP Statement further Diminished the Significance of the Breaching attempts, saying the Border Wall System's Technology of Cameras, Sensors, and other Hardware, is Not yet fully Operational in the San Diego area. “When complete, San Diego Sector will have the most advanced border wall system USBP has ever deployed,” the Agency said. “Until then, we continue to rely on existing situational awareness capabilities and manpower to mitigate potential breach attempts.”

Border Agents said Sawing Crews have Learned to Sever the Bollards to create 14-inch Openings, just enough for People and Drugs to pass through. Because the Bollards are so Tall and Heavy but are Attached to one another Only at the Top, they are relatively easy to Push Out of the way once they are Cut near their Concrete Anchors, lacking Horizontal Reinforcement, according to Structural Engineers.

Agents said the Smugglers have learned to Disguise the Breaches with Putty, potentially allowing them to Return to the Same Breach and use it again and again until Agents discover it. Some of the Crews were so Proficient in the Technique that Agents have learned to Scan the Surface of the Bollards for Cosmetic Defects, Dismounting from their Vehicles to Kick at the Base of any Bollards that appear they might have been Sawed Through.

The Trump Administration has obtained about $15 Billion so far for New Barrier Construction, Money that has mostly come through Diverted Pentagon Funds rather than Congressional Appropriations. “We should be using all resources and funding to combat this virus and protect Americans, instead of using critical funding and resources to continue the construction of a border wall,” Lawmakers wrote. “The construction of a wall puts workers, law enforcement personnel, and border residents in immediate danger.”

Nearly all of the 158 miles of New Barriers completed as of April 10th are in areas where the New Design is replacing Smaller, Older Fencing. Just Two Miles of New Fencing have been Added to areas that previously had No Structure whatsoever, according to the Latest Construction Figures from CBP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the Project.