Despite its intimidating presence, human smugglers and cartel members have sawed through President Trump’s improved border wall at several locations with commercially available cordless power tools that can sell for as little as $100 at your neighborhood hardware store.
Per Microsoft News:
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the very top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier — so far coming with a $10 billion price tag — was a central theme of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it “virtually impenetrable” and likening the structure to a “Rolls-Royce” that border-crossers cannot get over, under or through.
The smuggling crews have been using other techniques, such as building makeshift ladders to scale and overtop the barriers, especially in the popular smuggling areas in and around San Diego, according to nearly a dozen U.S. agents and current and former administration officials.
Along heavily trafficked stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border, engineers intend to further fortify the wall, with two parallel barriers, each up to 30 feet in height and reinforced with state-of-the-art surveillance technology.
Such technology would quickly detect the vibrations sawing produces.
In the meantime, ruthless Mexican drug cartels, which generate billions of dollars in revenue annually, continue to have enormous incentives to overcome whatever barriers the United States government places before them.
AAN Staff
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