How the last five presidents played a part in building America’s border wall

JIMMIE JOHNSON: THERE’S BEEN A SERIES OF TROUBLING HEADLINES COMING FROM THE SOUTHERN BORDER.

ANCHOR: “The tragedy in San Antonio now appears to be the deadliest human smuggling case in US history.”

ANCHOR: “The United Nations just labeled the US-Mexico border the deadliest crossing in the entire world.”

JIMMIE: LAWMAKERS ARE AT ODDS OVER A SOLUTION, BUT ONE CONSTANT FOR DECADES HAS BEEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BORDER WALL.

EVERY PRESIDENT, FROM 42 TO 46, HAS CONTRIBUTED BY DESIGN OR DEFAULT TO BUILDING SOME BARRIER ALONG THE MORE THAN 19-HUNDRED MILES OF BORDER WITH MEXICO. 

DESPITE DECADES OF EFFORTS – SCENES LIKE THESE ARE A CONSTANT REMINDER – THE SOLUTION ISN’T SIMPLE.

ANCHOR: ”Along a roadway in southern Mexico a seemingly endless stream of people making their way on foot to the united states.”

JIMMIE: IN MARCH, MIGRANT CROSSINGS AT THE U-S MEXICO BORDER EXCEEDED A TWENTY-TWO-YEAR HIGH.

SO, HOW DID WE GET HERE? LET ME EXPLAIN!

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: “Every place in this country is rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country.”

JIMMIE: PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON’S COMMENTS ON IMMIGRATION IN 19-95 CAME A YEAR AFTER INITIATING OPERATION GATEKEEPER – AN EFFORT AIMED AT PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN CITIES LIKE SAN DIEGO.

THE PLAN WAS CONTROVERSIAL AND DESPITE DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF FENCING AT THE BORDER – WAS DECLARED A FAILURE BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

SEVERAL YEARS LATER, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH PICKED UP WHERE CLINTON LEFT OFF. 

IN 20-06, HE SIGNED THE SECURE FENCE ACT, WHICH THEN-SENATOR BARACK OBAMA VOTED TO CONSTRUCT.

COINCIDENTALLY, MOST OF THE BORDER WALL WAS BUILT DURING THE BUSH AND OBAMA PRESIDENCIES. 

UNDER BUSH 526 MILES OF WALL WERE CONSTRUCTED.

AND DURING THE OBAMA-BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, 137 MILES OF BORDER WALL WENT UP.   

THEN CAME PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, WHO CAMPAIGNED TO BUILD A WALL AND HAVE MEXICO PAY FOR IT.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: “We’re going to build a wall. It’s going to be built.”

JIMMIE: WHILE OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH NEVER DID FOOT THE BILL, TRUMP DID FUND A 15-BILLION-DOLLAR BORDER WALL PROJECT. 

BUT ONLY 73 MILES FOCUSED ON NEW CONSTRUCTION. THE REMAINDER FOCUSED ON REPLACING CRUMBLING OR OUTDATED PARTS OF THE WALL. 

MORE CONSTRUCTION WAS PLANNED – BUT THE PROJECT WAS PAUSED ONCE PRESIDENT BIDEN TOOK OFFICE.

ON DAY ONE, BIDEN SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO HALT TRUMP’S BORDER PROJECT. 

BIDEN: “There will not be another foot wall constructed in my administration.”

JIMMIE: BUT NOW – D-H-S HAS SIGNALED A SHIFT, RELEASING A STATEMENT SAYING THEY INTEND TO WORK ON MORE SECTIONS OF THE BORDER WALL – SPECIFICALLY IN CALIFORNIA. 

SO EVEN WITH MORE MILES OF THE WALL, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE BUILDING. 

PROMPTING SOME STATE LAWMAKERS TO FILL IN THE GAPS.