Border walls are the most effective tool for stopping illegal immigration at the United States-Mexico border, an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo concludes.
The memo, conducted in June 2017 for then-Acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, was obtained and reviewed by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) following a public records request.
According to IRLI officials, the internal memo examined 25 areas at the border and ultimately recommended the construction of a border wall in every area. Further, a border wall was found to be the most cost-effective tool for DHS to deter illegal immigration.
IRLI’s report states:
For every area of the Southwest border examined, the audit determined that a physical barrier was not only the best option for disrupting irregular migration, but also the most cost-effective, as compared to alternatives such as electronic sensors. [Emphasis added]
The memo directly contradicts President Joe Biden’s claims that border walls are a “waste of money” and “not a serious policy solution.”
“This is vindication to those who were disparaged by this administration for their support of physical barriers at the border,” IRLI Executive Director Dale Wilcox said in a statement.
While Biden canceled all border wall construction immediately after taking office in January 2021, his administration has planned to build an additional wall in Starr County, Texas, due to waves of illegal immigration in the region.
“A border wall system makes practical and financial sense,” Wilcox said:
Cancelling wall construction on day one of this administration was just the first in a series of catastrophic mistakes on immigration that have jeopardized the long-term health of this country. We need immigration policies that serve America, not the radical anti-borders activists that have far too much influence over this White House. [Emphasis added]
During former President Donald Trump’s tenure, his administration built about 370 miles of border wall — 80 miles of which were built in places along the border where no prior barrier existed. The remaining 290 miles of border wall were built to replace old barriers.
The overwhelming majority of the nearly 2,000-mile-long southern border — more than 60 percent — has no physical barrier separating the U.S. from Mexico.
Amidst record-setting illegal immigration levels under Biden, Americans now more than ever support a border wall. In October, a Fox News poll revealed that four out of seven registered voters supported the DHS building additional border wall.
“Americans, who are justifiably concerned about border security, should be asking themselves why Joe Biden and [Secretary of Homeland Security] Alejandro Mayorkas are so eager to prevent the construction of physical barriers on the southern border,” IRLI’s Director of Investigations Matt O’Brien said.
“… [W]alls have repeatedly been shown to be the cheapest and most effectual way to protect both national security and public safety,” he said.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
