The Independent View: Biden's Order to Pause Border Wall Construction Expires March 20th

Biden signed a Proclamation halting Wall Construction after being sworn in, but that was only a 60-day Pause, and it Ends on Sunday March 21st.

Construction Companies contracted by the Trump Administration are Not due to Immediately Restart Work on Sunday without Intervention. Nor does there seem to be an Appetite to Undo any work, which in many Places looks jarring and is evidently Half-done.

David J. Bier, an Immigration Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute said "there's no conversation about" the Wall when he speaks to Biden Officials. Instead, he said, they are Focused on the Influx of People including Children, from trying to Cross the Border with Mexico. As of Monday, there were 4,200 Children in CBP Custody.

The Children situation appears to have put the Wall Issue far down the Agenda. "No one is saying anything about the border wall being some kind of solution to what's happening," Bier said. "No one is thinking 'if only we finished the fence.' Everyone is focused on: 'How do we deal with the people who we process?'" Bier said he expects that the 60-day pause will simply be Extended.

Jessica Bolter, an Associate Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute said, "I think that the administration is really trying to balance their mission to implement a more humane system at the US-Mexico border and treat migrants in a way that's consistent with humanitarian obligations."

But much of the Infrastructure needed to handle the Numbers humanely does Not Exist, and DHS has Dispatched the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help out for the next Three months. A Facility to temporarily house 700 Migrant Children was Opened in Texas in mid-February. Taking any action on the Border Wall either way is Politically perilous, and a calculated Silence seems to be the White House Strategy.

CBP still does Not have a Nominee for Commissioner, a Post that is currently temporarily held by Career Official, Troy Miller. This Key Post not being filled may also be holding things up, Bolter said.

In the meantime, the Biden Administration still appears to be Assessing what it can Legally do with the $1.4 Billion approved by Congress for the Wall. At a March 10th White House Press Briefing, Coordinator for the Southern Border Ambassador, Roberta Jacobson, gave No Answer to the Question of how much of that Money had been Spent so far.

Bolter said this Money could still be used on things other than Wall Building. "The Trump administration was using that money mostly for border wall construction, but it there's also an option for it to be used for things like access roads or putting technology into place at the border."

Since January 20th, Machinery has largely either stood Idle or has been Decommissioned from Wall Construction Sites. Campaigners are wary of any Sign that Contractors are ignoring the Pause. In Mid-February, a Group recorded footage of Earth-Moving work in Arizona's Pajarito Mountains, a critical Habitat for Jaguars. The Center for Biological Diversity released an Alert about the Activity, as it was on Property that had Not finished the Eminent Domain Review.

The broader Anti-Wall Campaigning Community, disappointed by successive Administrations, is deeply Cynical of Biden's Promise Not to Build more of the Border Wall.

We must Protect our Borders. However, a Wall cannot perform the myriad Functions necessary to Apprehend Crossers, Screen Migrants, Detect Illicit Behavior, etc. DHS Staffers, Border Patrol Agents, and Increased Technology can including: Cameras; Fixed Towers; and Aerial and Underground Sensors, can help Combat Cartels that are using Highly Sophisticated Technology to Cross the Border.

Expanding Agencies like the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit prevents Terrorists and other Criminals from Exploiting the Nation's Immigration System through Fraud.

Investing in the Biometric Entry-Exit System at All Ports of entry helps Screen those who enter into the U.S. Efficiently and Effectively. The need for a 21st-Century approach to Border Security is something both Political Parties have called for, aiming to find New Solutions to Emerging Problems.

The Wall would stretch across a vast expanse of Desert between Ports of entry. Yet, most Security Threats are at Ports of Entry rather than between. About One-Fifth of the Number of gang Members apprehended were at Ports of Entry, a significantly Larger Number than Members who were Apprehended Between.