Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
The Department of Homeland Security has contracted a Delaware construction company to build a substantial fence around President Joe Biden’s Delaware beach house, according to The Washington Examiner.
The publication reported that, according to USASpending.gov, DHS has hired Rehoboth’s Turnstone Builders, a Delaware construction company, to build the fence that will cost taxpayers $456,548.
Biden’s part-time residence at the beach was acquired by the president in 2017 for around $2.7 million, according to tax records, and while the construction had not yet begun as of mid-October, the Cape Gazette reported that the barrier is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Since being installed in the White House earlier this year, Biden has visited the vacation home twice. On both occasions Secret Service, local police, and the Federal Aviation Administration have been involved in the security of the residence. During his second visit the Coast Guard was also enlisted to assist in creating a safe and secure environment for the president, including checkpoints, no-fly zones, and security areas along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and the Atlantic Ocean.
Biden’s willingness to spend time, energy, and resources on a wall around his vacation home is likely not going to sit well with many Americans who have, for quite some time, been looking for construction on the border wall along the southern border of the United States to resume.
While the White House did not immediately respond to The Washington Examiner’s request for comment on the Delaware property’s border fencing, some other politicians have had plenty to say about fences and their efficacy.
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott has been vocal about his belief that the federal government has “completely abandoned” the residents of south Texas, specifically, and everyone affected by illegal immigration.
Speaking recently on Sunday Morning Futures in an exclusive interview, the Texas governor said that “all the people who live on the border” have been put in danger by the Biden administration’s inaction.
Abbott, who has been a long-time proponent of a border wall and beefed up security at the southern border, told host Maria Bartiromo that the former Trump administration’s policies had led to the “greatest reduction” in border crossings, but those changes were undone by the Biden administration:
“But now we’re seeing the highest number of cross border crossings, and it’s all because of the catastrophic open border policies by the Biden administration,” he continued.
Republicans have blamed the end of border wall construction as a major cause of the surge in migration from South and Central America. While Biden has pointed to “root causes” as to what should be addressed, Abbott and Texas Republicans have been forced to deal with cartels who are “getting even more aggressive,” to the point of firing on American border patrol agents.
To that end, and without the necessary federally-funded barrier, Abbott has deployed the National Guard to the border and allocated massive funds for a wall of his own. “Texas has devoted more than $3 billion to secure the border,” Abbott said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz addressed the issue of illegal immigration into the Lone Star State and the need for a border wall, saying that in the year 2021 alone roughly the population of Houston has crossed into the United States illegally and that the Biden administration has knowingly released more than 7,000 illegal immigrants who tested positive for COVID.
“Since the population in McAllen, Texas is 141,000, roughly five percent of McAllen consists of COVID-positive illegal immigrants, released by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cruz said on his website.
“We have a border crisis in our country. It’s a crisis that South Texas is on the front lines of. It pays the price, but it impacts the entire country. What is so frustrating, what is so maddening, is that this crisis is man-made. This didn’t have to be happening.
“I have long said it is not compassionate to have an open border. It is not compassionate to have children suffering in the custody of abusive human traffickers. It is not compassionate to allow dangerous drugs to flood our communities. It is not compassionate to ignore the plight of South Texas communities.
“Texas continues to be on the front lines of this crisis, and South Texas communities have had to bear the brunt of the Biden administration’s political decisions. To everyone at Customs and Border Protection (CBP), thank you. We are grateful for your service. It makes a real difference in our communities. While many of you may feel that your jobs are a lot harder now because of Washington politics, I stand with you. I will continue fighting for the current administration to properly confront this crisis and reverse this reckless course for the sake of Texans and Americans across the country.”