Santa Teresa border wall work underway

Officials said construction for a border wall replacement in Santa Teresa with new bollard style wall is underway.

The existing barrier will be replaced with an 18- to 30-foot high bollard-style wall, officials noted, referencing the contract, which Customs and Border Protection (CBP) awarded to Barnard Construction of Bozeman, Montana, also includes removal of an existing vehicle barrier, as well as roadway and drainage improvements.

“We need effective barriers to deny the entry of illegal aliens and contraband,” Aaron A. Hull, U.S. Border Patrol’s chief patrol agent for the El Paso Sector, said. “Our agents know that a balance of physical infrastructure, technology and personnel is key to securing the border and keeping our communities safe.”

Construction is scheduled to take approximately 390 days, with a projected cost of $73.3 million.

A key element, officials said, is the ability to see through into Mexico, a concept supported by the bollard style wall.

Organizers said the wall has proved beneficial to the Border Patrol in detecting illegal entries and the smuggling of narcotics into the United States.

El Paso Sector continues to experience a high number of apprehensions of illegal immigrants and drug smuggling, CBP officials said. In fiscal year 2017, the El Paso Sector apprehended 25,193 illegal aliens, seized 34,189 pounds of marijuana and 140 pounds of cocaine.