DHS Requests 270 Miles of Border Wall from Pentagon

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested the Pentagon for assistance to build 270 miles of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in order to prevent drug smuggling.

Officials said that the request arrived at the Department of Defense (DOD) on Wednesday and will take around two weeks to assess its feasibility. No cost estimates were provided by the officials.

According to 10 U.S Code 284, the DOD is authorized to build fencing, roads and lighting as a counter-narcotic measure, and to regulate drug smuggling. Fox News reported that “the six sectors where the DHS has requested the DOD’s help with paying for the construction of a border wall are all on federal lands.” The construction of the wall will begin once the assessment feasibility of the request is complete.

While the DHS request did not include a financial request, the estimate for the construction is around $7.2 billion, which will come mostly from counter-narcotic funds. According to Fox News, “some $2.5 billion – including military construction funds – was allocated from the defense budget to build nearly 130 miles of border barriers.”

According to an official, the work is expected to be done by the end of 2020 if the request is approved.