About 50 miles of brand new wall has been completed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) along the United States’ southwest border, with more expected to be constructed, according to acting Commissioner Mark Morgan.
Accompanying Morgan’s Twitter post were a few photos, some showing the construction process—others depicting the finished product. It didn’t say exactly where the new wall was being built.
Last month, President Donald Trump praised a decision reached by the federal court denying a request by House Democrats to block funds being appropriated from other accounts for the construction of the border wall.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said last month that each week, about two miles of additional border wall are being built.
“[It’s] coming along aggressively,” McAleenan told Trump during a meeting at the White House on June 12. “By the end of next year, over 400 miles [will be built].”
The United States is dealing with a rising influx of illegal aliens, most of whom are traveling through Mexico from Central America.
The sex offender was detained after agents spotted a man approximately six miles north of the U.S.-Mexico International Boundary. The man was identified as a 53-year-old Honduran national who had no legal documentation. He was arrested and sent to a nearby station for processing.
After running records checks at the station, the man was revealed to have had a “criminal conviction out of New Hampshire for aggravated felonious sexual assault against a child,” according to CBP.
The smuggling attempt was foiled when a U.S. Coast Guard cutter intercepted a pleasure-craft vessel operating near Point Loma, California. During the initial interception, they observed one person on board, but after boarding the vessel, they found an additional 12.
The vast majority of those being detained by border agents are children and family units from Central America that Border Patrol is forced to release quickly, despite the fact that 90 percent of them never show up for their subsequent immigration hearings.
Trump has also applauded Mexico for its recent efforts to curb illegal immigration.