Biden Facing Growing Backlash For Approval Of New Border Wall Construction

The Biden administration is facing mounting blowback for its decision to allow new border wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a signal the move could hurt U.S.-Mexico relations, Mexico's President Manuel Lopez Obrador slammed the administration for paving the way for the construction of a new section of border wall in southern Texas

"This authorization for the construction of the wall is a step backwards," Lopez Obrador said Thursday ahead of a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a Reuters report.

Democrats and environmentalists are also panning the administration's decision to waive 26 federal laws to allow for the border wall construction in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.

The controversy was sparked by a notice posted overnight Wednesday in the Federal Registry by the Department of Homeland Security, announcing that the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws would be waived to proceed with the construction project.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in the notice that there was an "acute and immediate" need for more physical barriers at that section of the southern border.

"There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," Mayorkas said.

Biden defended the change Thursday, saying Congress appropriated funding for the border wall construction under former President Donald Trump and refused his request to move the funding to other programs.

"The money was appropriated for the border wall. I tried to get to them to reappropriate it, to redirect that money. They didn't," Biden told reporters at the White House. Congress is required by law to use the funding for its intended purpose, Biden said, "and I can't stop that."

Biden also gave a flat "no" answer when asked if he believed the border wall works to curb the flow of migration into the U.S.

Still, the administration's decision represents a stark reversal from Biden's vow as a candidate in 2020 to end Trump's push to expand border wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.

In an August, 2020 interview with NPR, Biden promised that "not another foot of wall would be constructed" under his watch as president.

On his first day in office, Biden ended Trump's declaration of a national emergency for the southern border and ordered that funds for border wall construction be diverted elsewhere.

But Biden has faced criticism for his border policies from Republicans amid a rise in migration across the southern border, and immigration appears likely to be a pivotal issue in the 2024 presidential election.

Immigration and border security were also key factors in the spending fight that nearly caused a government shutdown last week. The debate will play out again in coming weeks as Congress considers another spending package to keep the government funded past Nov. 17.