Administration touts 100th mile of border wall under Trump

YUMA, Ariz. — Trump administration officials on Friday touted the 100th mile of border wall to be built since the president took office as crossings have continued to drop.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf responded to critics who say the new construction is only replacing old fencing. The new, 30-foot walls do replace other barriers, but those were shorter and easier to cross. Wolf said he’s confident the administration will build or start to build 400 to 450 miles by the end of the year.

“The wall system you see behind me is an undeniable impediment to smugglers, traffickers and other criminals who have exploited our lack of effective border infrastructure to smuggle drugs, illicit goods and engage in human trafficking,” Wolf said.

He spoke in Yuma, Ariz., a region that’s seen dramatic highs and lows in illegal border crossings over the past two years. Most of those crossing are families.

Officials in Yuma are building a 5-mile section of wall along the Colorado River, where the Border Patrol says most migrants crossed.

Yuma’s nearly 97 percent drop in the number of families since May is partially because the area’s adoption of the Remain in Mexico program.