Physical Barrier ‘Most Cost-Effective’ Way to Prevent Illegal Immigration, Says DHS Internal Memo

Mexico's federal police stand guard at the U.S.-Mexico border fence as U.S. President Donald Trump visits Calexico, California, as seen from Mexicali, Baja California state, Mexico, on April 5, 2019. Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

Physical barriers along borders are the most “cost-effective tool” to deter and slow illegal cross-border activity, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo recently made public.

The memo, obtained by the nonprofit legal organization the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) through a Freedom of Information Act request, is dated 2017.

It is the result of an audit regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) security of the southern border for then-acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan and details the “Analyze/Select” phase of the acquisition of the barrier along the U.S.–Mexico border.

IRLI said it had initially submitted a request to CBP for the internal document and information relating to the DHS’s internal review of its wall-building capacity in July 2020 but only received a single document, the memo, in March 2023, nearly three years after the request was submitted.

The audit looked at three primary ways of slashing illegal crossings at the U.S.–Mexico border: additional law enforcement personnel; increased use of technological aids including cameras, sensors, and drones; and the construction of a physical barrier, including fencing with “anti-climb capability.”

According to the memo, for every area of the southwest border examined, the audit determined that a physical barrier was both the most cost-effective and best way to establish acceptable levels of effective border control when compared to alternatives such as electronic sensors.

It is not clear why the audit was not released to the public.

Memo ‘Directly Contradicts’ Biden Admin’s Position

In a press release, IRLI said the memo “directly contradicts the position of the Biden Administration, which has long claimed that a border wall is ‘not a serious policy solution’ and a ‘waste of money.’”

President Joe Biden immediately stopped all border wall construction efforts upon taking office. However, his administration reversed course in October amid a growing border crisis and announced plans to resume construction of the border wall championed by former President Donald Trump.

In a notice published on Oct. 5 to the Federal Registry, the administration said it will build physical barriers in Starr County, Texas, along the U.S.–Mexico border, citing an “acute and immediate need” to expedite the construction of the wall.

According to federal government data, CBP encounters with immigrants entering the United States illegally have risen from 458,000 in 2020 to 1.7 million in 2021 and nearly 2.4 million in 2022, and are on track to meet or exceed those numbers in 2023.

Meanwhile, the number of “gotaways”—illegal immigrants who were not found nor apprehended while illegally entering the country—increased by 303 percent between 2019 and 2022, reaching more than 600,000 in 2022.

Separate data published in November by the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey shows that the number of foreign-born individuals living in the United States—including both legal and illegal immigrants—has risen by 4.5 million since President Biden took office.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (L) listens as Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to Texas state troopers and guardsmen during a Thanksgiving meal at the South Texas International Airport in Edinburg, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2023. Eric Gay/AP Photo

‘Border Wall System Makes Practical, Financial Sense’

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than half of the 4.5 million increase in the foreign-born population residing in the country since President Biden took office is likely owing to illegal immigration.

“This is vindication to those who were disparaged by this administration for their support of physical barriers at the border,” said Dale L. Wilcox, IRLI’s executive director and general counsel, in a statement.

“A border wall system makes practical and financial sense. Cancelling wall construction on Day 1 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,” Mr. Wilcox said.

Amidst the ongoing immigration crisis, President Trump—who is currently leading polls in the Republican 2024 presidential nomination—has vowed to renew his crackdown on illegal immigration if he is reelected to office.

During a visit to Texas last month after securing an endorsement from Gov. Greg Abbott, President Trump vowed to “restore law and order” at the border and make Mr. Abbott’s job “much easier.”

Multiple polls have found that the majority of registered voters support building some type of physical barrier along the southern border.

Commenting on the newly published memo, Matt O’Brien, director of investigations at IRLI, said, “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 when walls have repeatedly been shown to be the cheapest and most effectual way to protect both national security and public safety.”

A spokesperson for DHS told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “This Administration believes that effective border security requires a smarter and more comprehensive approach, including state-of the-art border surveillance technology and modernized ports of entry.”

“We need Congress to give us the funds to implement these proven tools,” the spokesperson added.