A replacement border wall is going up near Calexico, California.
The 2.25-mile wall is the first new construction on the border under President Donald Trump, who has made building a wall along the southwest border a priority.
Construction started on Feb. 21.
The wall is a 30-foot high bollard style wall that will replace a structure built in the 1990s out of recycled scraps of metal and old landing mat, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“Although the existing wall has proven effective at deterring unlawful cross-border activity, smuggling organizations damaged and breached this outdated version of a border wall several hundred times during the last two years, resulting in costly repairs,” the CBP said in a statement.
CBP said the wall replacement, in the El Centro Border Sector, is one of Border Patrol’s highest priority projects.
El Centro Sector agents apprehended more than 18,000 illegal aliens in fiscal year 2017. They also seized 5,554 pounds of marijuana, 483 pounds of cocaine, 1,526 pounds of methamphetamine, and 2,521 ounces of heroin, according to CBP.
During the same fiscal year, 21 agents were assaulted in the sector.
The new project covers an area from approximately the Calexico West Port of Entry extending westward beyond the Gran Plaza Outlets. The project also includes around 2.25 miles of all-weather roads.
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