Donald Trump will be this Tuesday, Jan. 12 afternoon in Alamo, TX. Not the Alamo of San Antonio, that of the fort and the famous episode of the war with Mexico, but that of the Mexican border (in the county of Hidalgo), where a section of the famous anti-migrant wall is being built, which Donald Trump had made one of the pillars of his presidency.
The confusion caused by the lack of precision in the presidential agenda prompted comments and taunts from all who thought Donald Trump was heading to Fort Alamo.
Such a visit would indeed have had a strong symbolic and emotional significance. Remember: From February 23 to March 6, 1836, a small American garrison of some 200 Texans was besieged in a fort in San Antonio by 5,000 soldiers of the Mexican army. Today, Fort Alamo, or ” The Alamo As the Americans say, is Texas’ most visited monument.
The Siege of Fort-Alamo is the major event of the Republic of Texas War of Independence and a symbol of the desperate resistance of a handful of Americans, including the famous Davy Crockett, against a vastly larger force.
The allegory of heroic resistance is part of the American imagination. The Fort Alamo episode has something to delight many Americans, especially the supporters of Donald Trump. They see in their champion mistreated by the Democrats, the Republicans «
weak “ and the left-wing media, one of the defenders of Fort America
.
However, the allegory has its limits: none of the defenders survived and the possible prisoners were taken to arms. Not sure if this is the fate that Trump fans are hoping for for the President and his clique.
Donald at the foot of the wall
For his 18e visit to Texas, Donald Trump will go to Alamo, a border town where the anti-migrant wall promised by the Republican candidate in 2016 was erected over sixty kilometers (on the 2,000 miles of border between the USA and the Mexico). The president out
wants to mark the achievement of 400 miles of barrier / wall, an official figure given by the Trump administration, some members of which now advance the figure of 450 km.
Will his arrival give him the opportunity for a new vitriolic discourse? Will he be greeted by his fans? The prospect worries local authorities. Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez appealed for calm. In a statement, he called for master passions
and to prove that peaceful public speech is more effective than public violence
.
The wall
Where are we really at on this debated and debatable site? According to a GAO report (the equivalent of the French Court of Auditors) last November, the figures are actually a little different. The GAO cites a figure: 679 miles, which adds up existing barriers (352.5 miles), new built (48.3) and new planned (278.3). But the detail deserves a little attention.
Take the example of anti-vehicle barriers: before 2017 (theExecutive Order 13767 date of that year), there were 298.8 miles of this type of barrier; as of June 2020, the length in place was 299.6 miles. Or 0.8 more miles.
On the pedestrian barrier side, 352.5 miles of barrier existed in 2017. The goal was to build 278.3 miles of new barriers and renovate / rebuild 355.3 miles. However, according to the GAO, between 2017 and June 2020, only 48.3 miles of new barriers were built and 70 miles replaced or renovated.
The cost of the work, moreover, remains poorly understood. We are talking about a total bill of $ 15 billion. On the funding side, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has already committed $ 4.5 billion to the wall. On the DoD side (Department of Defense), the bill amounts to 2.5 billion. But these are only estimates, with the cost per mile built ranging from $ 24.4 million to $ 31 million. And, let’s remember that Mexicans had to foot the bill! Another electoral promise that has lead in the wing.
Finally, it will be interesting to see how this Trumpian heritage
will be managed by the new administration. Joe Biden was clear: There will not be one more wall that will be built by my administration ”.
In the meantime, the civil engineering companies and the DHS are actively working to advance the work (some to present the invoice, others for security reasons).
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