Last January 14, 2019, a caravan of 376 Guatemalan migrants crossed the U.S. Border in Yuma by digging tunnels beneath a border fence. The group, which was the largest caravan of migrànts attempting to seek asylum in the U.S., immediately surrendered to the US Border Patrol agents manning the Yukon area. During processing, the Custom and Border Protection unit established that the tunnel-crossing group included 176 minors, 30 of whom had reached the border unaccompanied by an adult family member.

Putting to Light the Effectiveness of Trump’s Bollard-Style Fencing Alternative to Concrete Walls

Investigations about the tunnels disclosed that the Guatemalan migrants, with the help of their smugglers, dug the sandy soil beneath the bollard-style barriers attached to steel metal plates. Since the purpose of the fence was intended only as a vehicle stopper, there were no solid concrete foundations underneath ground on which they were erected.

The tunnel revelation comes at the wake of Donald Trump’s budget-negotiation proposal of putting steel bollard-style fences as alternative to the beautiful concrete waĺl he promised. Even members of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), confided to the NBC news crew that their tests of the prototype bollard-style barriers lined up at Otay Mesa Pogo Row site, is vulnerable to breaching.

 

Still, DHS officials contend that since the bollard-style fences are made of tougher materials, sawing through them will be more time consuming. The point driven at, is that even if a bollard-fence is breached by way of sawing, the lengthy process will buy time for responding. Border Patrol agents. However, there was no mention of breach that can be perpetuated by the high tech Narco tunnels existing underneath the US Border Walls.