CEO Offers to Build 234 Miles of Border Wall for $1.4 Billion

A builder from North Dakota is offering to put up 234 miles of border walls on the U.S.-Mexico border for $1.4 billion, approximately 80 percent less expensive than the projected cost for the government to build the project. Tommy Fisher, the president and CEO of Fisher Sand and Gravel Company, told the Washington Examiner that the government is paying too much for the wall. Fisher said that for $4.31 billion he would build the wall featuring paved roads, border technology, and a warranty. “Our whole point is to break through the government bureaucracy,” Fisher told the Washington Examiner. “If they do the small procurements as they are now … that’s not going to cut it.”

Congress approved some $1.4 billion in funding for 55 miles of border wall in the Rio Grande Valley, far short of President Donald Trump’s request of $5.7 billion. Fisher said that the $1.4 billion could be used to build the 55 miles in the Rio Grande Valley and an additional 214 miles of walls elsewhere. The funds allotted by Congress can only be used in the Rio Grande Valley. After Congress failed to deliver the $5.7 billion requested by the president and the Department of Homeland Security, Trump shifted $3.1 billion from the Treasury and defense departments toward wall construction. The president also declared a national emergency, clearing the way to reallocate an additional $3.6 billion from the military budget. As Trump predicted, the emergency declaration was challenged in court. The court challenge does not affect the $3.1 billion shifted from the Treasury and defense departments, bringing the effective border funding total to some $4.5 billion. A representative with the Army Corps of Engineers told the Washington Examiner that the department has not yet requested bids from the private sector.

A Fisher Industries video shows a border wall proposal, which includes roads elevated on mounds. Border patrol agents could drive up to the elevations to surveil the territory on the Mexico side of the border, the video suggests. “Our wall will provide protection for all Americans, but our proposal is more than just a wall—it’s infrastructure for border agents,” Fisher Sand and Gravel wrote on Twitter. Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) toured Fisher Industries in July last year along with Kelly Armstrong, a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives. Armstrong praised Fisher for his knowledge about the project. “Amazing to see Dickinson-based Fisher Industries forms for building the border wall. Even more impressive was Tommy Fisher’s knowledge and enthusiasm about the project,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter.

Cramer and Armstrong viewed the Fisher Industries patented concrete wall forming system, which allows for concrete to be poured on site of the wall construction. “Here at Fisher Industries in Dickinson ND, I tested just how easy it is to install a panel of wall myself. It’s time to secure our border once and for all,” Cramer wrote on Twitter. Last year, Cramer co-sponsored the Border Wall Trust Fund Act, which would allow American citizens to donate funds toward construction of the border wall.

In May last year, Fisher presented his border wall construction plan to Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who was then the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. During the same month, Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. announced the purchase of 1,075 acres of property along the Mexico border in southern California. “This unique land acquisition allows us to showcase our border security system construction abilities,” the company wrote about the purchase on Twitter.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/ceo-offers-to-build-234-miles-of-border-wall-for-1-4-billion_2826577.html

Illegal Border Crossings Surged in February, Bogging Down Border Patrol

WASHINGTON—Illegal border crossings spiked ever higher in February with more than 66,000 apprehensions, according to Customs and Border Protection data. In January, the number was almost 48,000. So far this fiscal year, Border Patrol has apprehended almost 268,000 people at the southwest border. The numbers are on target to reach beyond 640,000 for the fiscal year.

Although the numbers are not as high as the 2005 surge, when around 1.5 million people were apprehended, the demographics of the current border crossers are markedly more complicated, said Border Patrol chief of operations Brian Hastings on March 5. He said historically 70 to 90 percent of Border Patrol arrests were Mexican nationals, who could be quickly returned to Mexico. Now, however, 70 percent of all apprehensions are from Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras.

Under current laws, Border Patrol cannot return minors to their home country unless they are Mexican or Canadian (contiguous countries). And members of family units are claiming asylum, which means they are set free into the United States to be processed through the immigration court system. Around 89 percent of Central Americans pass an initial credible fear screening, which allows them to be released into the country. However, only 9 percent are eventually granted asylum through immigration courts.

“So without a consequence, without being able to deliver a consequence to these individuals for illegally crossing our borders, the Border Patrol has no reason to expect that this trend will decrease. In fact, we believe it will increase,” Hastings said. Hastings said the number of family units apprehended exceeded single adult males for the first time in history in October 2018. And in February, family units and unaccompanied children accounted for 65 percent of all Border Patrol apprehensions. Hastings said word has quickly spread in Central America that adults and children will not be detained during their immigration proceedings. “If you bring a child, you’ll be successful,” he said. Over the past 10 months, officials have discovered almost 2,400 fraudulent family claims, he said. “Of those fraudulent claims, some are folks who have claimed that they’re under 18 and are not. Others have actually been fraudulent familial claims,” Hastings said. Many of the illegal immigrants require medical care, with Border Patrol sending at least 55 per day to local hospitals. And Mexican cartels are using the new phenomenon of large groups of 100-plus asylum seekers to distract Border Patrol while they sneak in their contraband at nearby, unpatrolled locations.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/border-patrol-bogged-down-with-66k-illegal-crossings-in-february_2825931.html

>>5535844

Indeed we will get the wall! We always knew we would:)

Why Mueller's report might be a letdown for Trump critics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lavishly detailed 445-page report by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr released by the U.S. House of Representatives in 1998 concluded that President Bill Clinton “committed acts that may constitute grounds for an impeachment” and paved the way for an unsuccessful attempt in Congress to remove him from office. But Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s impending report on the findings of his investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election may far fall short of the searing and voluminous Starr report, legal experts said, in part due to constraints on Mueller that did not exist when Starr produced his report.

The Starr report presented explicit details about Clinton’s sexual encounters with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky and accused Clinton of specific crimes including perjury, attempted obstruction of justice, witness tampering and “a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws.” Starr operated under an independent counsel law that has since lapsed. Mueller’s powers differ from those of Starr, and Justice Department regulations place limits on him that Starr did not face. Mueller since May 2017 has looked into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia and whether the president unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe. Trump has denied collusion and obstruction. Russia has denied election interference.

Here is an explanation of some of the factors that may limit what ends up in Mueller’s report to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and what ultimately may be released to the public.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-report-explainer/why-muellers-report-might-be-a-letdown-for-trump-critics-idUSKCN1QN1EH