DHS secretary: Border wall should be finished in two years

[livingston]

DHS secretary: Border wall should be finished in two years

MCALLEN, Texas – EXCLUSIVE: In his first television interview as Homeland Security secretary, retired four-star Marine Gen. John F. Kelly told Fox News he wants the U.S.-Mexico border wall finished in two years – setting an ambitious schedule for the project ordered last week by President Trump.
"The wall will be built where it's needed first, and then it will be filled in. That's the way I look at it," Kelly said. "I really hope to have it done within the next two years."

Fox News traveled with Kelly in McAllen, Texas, on Wednesday where he saw first-hand the challenges for Border Patrol agents. The Rio Grande Valley, known as the "RGV sector," is among the busiest. On any given day, Border Patrol agents pick up at least 600 people who have crossed the Mexican border, entering the U.S. illegally.

Those personnel, he explained, are all part of the broader plan for securing the border.

"Any discussion about the protection of our southwest border involves discussion of physical barriers but also of technological sensors, things like that,” he said. “But it's a layered approach, and it’s got to be backed up by great men and women who are going to make sure that the wall is intact."
DHS secretary: Border wall should be finished in two years

 

[Blimey]

I find this an optimistic and unlikely timeline, but then that's also in context of what exactly is a wall. It appears to me that 95% of the media and 99% of the US population still don't realize there is already a wall that covers 1/3rd of the border (600 miles). For some reason this was under radio silence from both sides during the election. And some of it was, I think, built under obama.

There is not going to be a wall covering every single mile, due to topography, remoteness, etc. Nor does there need to be.

I don't know how much is a physical barrier vs a virtual wall; drones, cameras, etc.

TLDR: I guess this is good news. If they can get some large portions of it completed before some future dem president comes in and cuts their funding, at least a wall will be there, and it may be politically ugly in the future to cut off all maintenance of it, even from a dem president.

 

[spat]

You just need enough of a fence to keep innocents and wildlife out of the mine field. No need for an expensive wall.....

 

[livingston]

You just need enough of a fence to keep innocents and wildlife out of the mine field. No need for an expensive wall.....

And the first 10 year old that gets killed the left will have a field day

 

[spat]

And the first 10 year old that gets killed the left will have a field day

I did say a good fence....

Wouldn't be ironic then to say "we're building a 50' wall, because the left felt the fence was inadequate to protect the children...."

 

[GTN]

I wonder if the construction workers will need armed guards? Could be another employment opportunity

 

[Magnus]

Everyone's worried about the wall, but what about the tunnels underneath? How are those going to be taken care of?

 

[Catskillkid]

Everyone's worried about the wall, but what about the tunnels underneath? How are those going to be taken care of?

I've thought about this too. I suppose there are types of equipment that can detect movement underground but it's certainly not foolproof. Another reason why we need to have a bigger Border Patrol with guys actually patrolling the terrain to catch this stuff.

Speaking of tunnels...do I smell another Magnus in Trouble scenario brewing?

 

[Magnus]

Speaking of tunnels...do I smell another Magnus in Trouble scenario brewing?

"Magnus: Trouble in Mejico"

 

[MilesTeg]

I think this is an aggressive schedule, but might be perfectly reasonable. We don't know what material lead time is or manpower that they are willing to spend on this project. Heck do we even know the design of it?

Lets make a few assumptions. The design is 10' tall standard galvanized fence topped with 3 strands of barbed wire. The post are set in concrete and spaced 50' apart. A drill crew can keep a head of the concrete/post crew and they can keep ahead of the fence installers. The lead time is they can get hole drilling crews ASAP and there's enough posts in stock to get the project going and in 3 months fully up to speed to ramp up installation if necessary.

For argument sakes lets say they want 50 work parties, these consist of a drill crew, post/ concrete crew and a fence crew. They can be spaced out at the gaps in the existing fence in order to avoid working on top of each other and concrete demands.

How many holes do you think a crew could do in a day (probably the slowest part of the operation) 10? Lets go with 10 for ease of calculation. 10 posts at 50 feet equals 500ft per crew. Now 50 crews time 500ft. That's 25000ft a day or 4.7348 miles a day lets call it 4.75 miles. Now multiply that 730 days you get 3467.5 miles in 2 years.

So I think it's doable but it depends what they are allocating for resources.

 

[livingston]

I've thought about this too. I suppose there are types of equipment that can detect movement underground but it's certainly not foolproof. Another reason why we need to have a bigger Border Patrol with guys actually patrolling the terrain to catch this stuff.

Speaking of tunnels...do I smell another Magnus in Trouble scenario brewing?

Israeli Anti-Tunnel System Could Put End To Smugglers, Migrants From Mexico

TEL AVIV – The U.S. is cosponsoring an Israeli-invented tunnel detection system that could prevent drug smugglers and illegal migrants from cross-border passage with Mexico, ISRAEL21c reported.
The technology, which is being heralded as the underground Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, was behind the IDF’s recent discovery of a 1.5 mile-long Hamas terror tunnel from Gaza and into Israeli territory.
earmarked $120 million over the next three years to help develop the system, the Financial Times reported.
Israeli Anti-Tunnel System Could Put End To Smugglers, Migrants From Mexico - Breitbart