The Department of Defense (DoD) reportedly spends about $130,000 a day on border wall materials that are sitting in storage.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that the cancelation of the border wall contracts by the Biden administration in 2021 &#8220;left a variety of excess materials&#8221; and the &#8220;total costs to store, maintain, and secure all the materials across all sites is estimated to be approximately $130,000 per day,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dod-spends-nearly-50-million-year-to-do-nothing-trumps-border-wall-materials-drawing-gop-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;Some of these materials, to include security cameras, overhead lights, and electrical and stormwater materials are being disposed of in accordance with federal excess material disposal laws and regulations,&#8221; the USACE added. &#8220;Overall, 61% of non-bollard panel materials, and 4% of bollard panel materials have been transferred to other government agencies or disposed of through the DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] disposition process. The total value of these materials is estimated at approximately $300 million. However, the cost to the government cannot be finalized until audits are completed and negotiations with contractors are concluded.&#8221;
Former President Donald Trump made building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a top campaign priority in 2016. Once in office, Trump&#8217;s administration appropriated about <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-02-07/how-much-of-president-donald-trumps-border-wall-was-built" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$15 billion</a> to build an estimated <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/11/texas-border-wall/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">458 miles of the barrier</a> at the end of his four years in office.
During his first day in office, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-termination-of-emergency-with-respect-to-southern-border-of-united-states-and-redirection-of-funds-diverted-to-border-wall-construction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed a proclamation</a> to &#8220;pause&#8221; the construction project.
Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by ranking member Roger Wicker (R-MS), sent a letter to a top DoD official this week saying they &#8220;are disturbed to learn the Department of Defense is paying private landowners to store border wall materials procured under the Trump Administration instead of fortifying the southern border with those materials.&#8221;
The GOP senators urged the DoD to &#8220;pursue all possible avenues to sponsor or endorse the reuse of excess Department of Defense property, including further transfer to states.&#8221; The Republicans also posed a series of questions to Melissa Dalton, assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, including a request for details about the contracts for the storage and maintenance of the unused border wall materials that they estimated cost over $47 million in the past year.
&#8220;The Department of Defense should not be incurring these daily charges but should be using these funds to bolster national security,&#8221; the GOP senators wrote.
The Daily Wire reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Republicans often criticize Biden for not doing more to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, not only to stop illegal crossings but also the flow of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmaker-says-he-would-arrest-mayorkas-if-he-could" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal drugs such as fentanyl</a>. Border authorities encountered <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/19/u-s-mexico-border-arrests-record-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 2 million aliens</a> in fiscal year 2022, according to federal data, a significant increase over the prior year.
Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-border-patrol-chief-bucks-dhs-secretary-mayorkas-the-u-s-southern-border-is-not-secure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified to House lawmakers</a> on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have operational control of the southern border, conflicting with a statement made by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Border wall construction

Defense Department Spends $130,000 A Day On Unused Border Wall Materials: Report

DoD Spends $130,000 A Day On Unused Border Wall Materials: Report

Border Wall

Department of Defense

Illegal Immigration

Pentagon

U.S.

In defense of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal immigration</a>, liberals often argue that Latin Americans do the jobs that U.S. citizens simply don&#8217;t want to do. Those who make such claims typically wind up sounding racist, such as the time <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pelosi-slammed-for-remarks-about-immigrants-needing-to-pick-crops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA</a>) wondered who would pick the crops if not for illegal aliens.
Perhaps those Democrats were proven right on Tuesday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador just did the job that the liberal media apparently doesn&#8217;t want to do at all: Tell the truth about President Joe Biden&#8217;s abdication of border security.
During a joint appearance of the three North American countries, AMLO  — as Biden&#8217;s counterpart is known — thanked the U.S. president for not building one iota of wall along the southern border in stark contrast to his predecessors.
&#8220;President Biden, you are the first president of the United States in a very long time that has not built not even one meter of wall. And we thank you for that,&#8221; AMLO said, flanked by Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Mexico City.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: AMLO thanks Biden for being &quot;the first President of the United States in a very long time that has not built&#8230;not even one meter of (border) wall &#8230;. Although some might not like it- although the conservatives don&#39;t like it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XtPdj38aZv">pic.twitter.com/XtPdj38aZv</a>
&mdash; Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1612967727169142786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It would appear AMLO is correct in that the Biden administration has not built any new wall. The U.S. has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/biden-administration-fill-border-wall-gaps-yuma-arizona-rcna40567" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filled</a> in certain gaps in the existing wall since 2021, but on day one, Biden made it clear he thought the wall was a no-go in terms of solutions for the illegal immigration crisis.
&#8220;Like every nation, the United States has a right and a duty to secure its borders and protect its people against threats,&#8221; the president <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/proclamation-termination-of-emergency-with-respect-to-southern-border-of-united-states-and-redirection-of-funds-diverted-to-border-wall-construction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an executive order on January 20, 2021. &#8220;But building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.  It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security.&#8221;
After <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-has-lost-her-gourd-veep-claims-border-is-secure-yet-blames-trump-for-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repealing</a> other key aspects of President Donald Trump&#8217;s immigration policy, Biden effectively created a tidal wave of illegal aliens flooding the southern border.
Curiously enough, after being harangued by conservatives for nearly two years, Biden visited the southern border for a photo op just this week.
&#8220;Our problems at the border didn’t arise overnight,&#8221; Biden claimed. &#8220;And they won’t be solved overnight. But, we can come together to fix this broken system. We can secure the border and fix the immigration process to be orderly, fair, safe, and humane.&#8221;
Of course, Biden essentially did create the illegal immigration crisis overnight on his first day in office.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This photo-op explained: 
Biden &amp; CBP officers (who are demoralized because of him) 
next to a huge wall (built by a Republican) 
calling for unity (after calling Republicans semi fascist)
explaining how border problems aren&#39;t fixed overnight (while he created them overnight) <a href="https://t.co/YtwarDN5jk">https://t.co/YtwarDN5jk</a>
&mdash; Will O&#39;Grady (@WillOGrady61) <a href="https://twitter.com/WillOGrady61/status/1612494883444621313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
His latest solution for the problem is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_0m8afXZSU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smartphone app</a> that will help migrants file asylum claims. So, as others pointed out, it seems that the Biden administration doesn&#8217;t view the situation as one of national security or sovereignty but rather one of orderliness.
Biden — or, more precisely, whoever is calling the shots — thinks that this issue can be solved by streamlining the process for individuals to apply for asylum. Rather than cross the border, then apply for asylum, he wants men and women to use their phones and androids in their home countries and fill out an application.
It is pretty much the worst sales pitch of all time — a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/international-disorder-biden-is-a-remarkably-bad-negotiator-and-doesnt-understand-how-the-world-works" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hallmark</a> of the Biden administration.
What sounds better: Option A) Sitting in economic ruin as drug cartels wreak havoc in your village, waiting for an app to reload saying that you&#8217;ve been approved asylum admission into the U.S. — or not — and then having to shell out money to travel to the border anyway?
Or Option B) Making the trek to the border, knowing that, more likely than not, you can cross into America, declare asylum in the U.S., and be released into the interior for a better life where you <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/report-more-than-50-000-illegal-immigrants-released-into-u-s-dont-show-for-court/article_4b9b6024-7473-11ec-b15a-177112faad9b.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may or may not</a> have to make a court appearance sometime down the road?
Option B is the better choice, obviously.
It should be noted that none of this should be considered a &#8220;failure.&#8221; This is all a choice by the Biden administration.
Democrats have made it abundantly clear that they believe illegal immigration is a good thing that benefits the country, and these men and women should be given amnesty.
These millions coming here are no different than your grandfather who hopped off the boat at Ellis Island, the leftist argument goes. Worse, Biden seems to fundamentally misunderstand what is happening.
Biden stated this week, &#8220;All of us have been immigrants&#8230;It&#8217;s not like people sit in their homes, cities, counties, and towns and say, &#8216;I have a great idea. Let&#8217;s sell everything we have. Give it to a coyote. Go through some jungles and a long path to the United States. Smuggle us across the border, drop us in the desert, and won&#8217;t that be fun in a country we don&#8217;t even speak the language?&#8221;
They might not say it&#8217;s fun, but that&#8217;s generally almost exactly what occurs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Biden: &quot;It&#39;s not like people sit in their homes and say &#39;I have a great idea. Lets sell everything we have. Give it to a coyote. Go through some jungles and a long path to the United States. Smuggle us across the border.&#39;&quot;
That is once again literally what is happening. <a href="https://t.co/9nZxZkNKpE">pic.twitter.com/9nZxZkNKpE</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1612957766615764997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The thing is, the Left can&#8217;t outright admit that they don&#8217;t actually care about the issue.
So instead, they have to throw up window dressing on the topic to try and make it appear as if they&#8217;re concerned with border security.
In turn, the American people get a border visit replete with propaganda that would put the likes of Kim Jong Un to shame.
As president of the National Border Patrol Council Brand Judd explained, Biden saw a whole lot of nothing — to put it colloquially.
“He didn’t tour any facilities where migrants would have been. So he didn’t see anything. He did not see any of the chaos that he’s created, that he’s caused,” Judd <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-didnt-see-anything-border-patrol-union-president-rips-bidens-visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “He didn’t get any more of an understanding [than] what he had before he went, and again, that’s politics. It was just optics. It was a photo shoot.”
It should be noted that one of the main beneficiaries of Biden&#8217;s border policies might very well be Mexican President AMLO.
Rather than deal with Trump — who insisted on and negotiated deals that kept illegal aliens in Mexico or their home countries — our south-of-the-border friend must be confident he can somewhat facilitate illegal aliens traveling to the U.S. southern border consequence-free thanks to Biden.
No wonder he felt so comfortable speaking the truth about the wall at Tuesday&#8217;s joint appearance.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Joe Biden, AMLO

Can’t Make It Up: Mexican Prez Thanks Biden For Building ‘Not Even One Meter’ Of Border Wall

Mexican Prez Thanks Biden For Building 'Not Even One Meter' Of Border Wall

Border Crisis

Democrats

Executive

Immigration

Joe Biden

Mexico

Politics

The Justice Department (DOJ) is suing Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and his administration over the use of shipping containers to build a wall along the state&#8217;s southern border with Mexico.
The DOJ filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Wednesday, claiming that the project trespasses on federal property.
“Arizona has unlawfully and without authority failed to remove the shipping containers from lands owned by the United States or over which the United States holds easements, thereby damaging the United States,” the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23460464/united-states-v-ducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> argues.
The legal move comes after Ducey issued an executive order in August directing the state&#8217;s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to begin a Yuma County project. The 3,820 feet of the previously open border was closed with 130 shipping containers in just 11 days.
The project then expanded to other parts of the border, with 6,680 feet of containers stacked two-high throughout Cochise County by early November. That section is estimated to take more than 2,700 shipping containers to fill the 10-mile gap along the southern border.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Cochise County Border Barrier update 💪
6,680 feet 334 shipping containers 2 weeks
And we’re not slowing down yet! <a href="https://t.co/vzxGj1xsGN">pic.twitter.com/vzxGj1xsGN</a>
&mdash; Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1589730486607568897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In October, the state filed its own lawsuit to affirm its right to continue using the shipping containers to help curb unlawful crossings.
“Our border communities are overwhelmed by illegal activity as a result of the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/10/governor-ducey-arizona-border-barrier-mission-will-not-be-deterred" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“Arizona is taking action to protest on behalf of our citizens. With this lawsuit, we’re pushing back against efforts by federal bureaucrats to reverse the progress we’ve made. The safety and security of Arizona and its citizens must not be ignored. Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can. We’re not backing down,&#8221; he added.
The lawsuit came after Ducey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-rejects-biden-administrations-demand-to-remove-shipping-container-border-barrier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to comply with a demand by the Biden administration to remove containers in the Yuma County area. Arizona officials <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23132677/reclamationlettertoducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Biden administration that the state would not remove the containers until a permanent barrier is constructed.
The Biden administration has warned that Ducey&#8217;s containers have interfered with land near both the Morelos Dam and land belonging to the Cocopah Indian Tribe’s West Reservation. It has also argued the barriers interfere with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection&#8217;s future project to fill holes in the existing wall.
In addition, environmental activists have recently targeted Ducey&#8217;s shipping container project. The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/13/arizona-border-wall-shipping-containers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> efforts by climate activists to halt the container border wall, including using their bodies to stand in the way of machinery and sitting on containers in protest.
Ducey leaves office in January, with Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs set to take over. She is expected to stop any further container wall work along the border.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not land that&#8217;s our land to put things on. That&#8217;s one problem. The containers aren&#8217;t working. There&#8217;s many pictures of people climbing over them,&#8221; Hobbs <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1831920/gov-elect-hobbs-says-she-will-stop-construction-shipping-container-wall-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;It&#8217;s a political stunt. It&#8217;s a visual barrier that is not actually providing an effective barrier to entry, and I think a waste of taxpayer dollars.&#8221;

border wall containers

Biden Admin Sues Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Over Shipping Container Border Wall

Arizona

Biden Administration

Courts

Doug Ducey

Southern Border

Arizona has started using shipping containers to fill the gap in another section of the state&#8217;s southern border with Mexico despite criticism from the Biden administration.
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey announced the effort for Cochise County on Monday after federal officials told him to move previously installed containers.
The new section is estimated to take more than 2,700 shipping containers to fill the 10-mile gap along the southern border.
&#8220;Today, we continued to follow through on our promise to add physical barriers to the border where possible,&#8221; Ducey tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On Friday, we committed to moving forward with our Border Barrier Mission – undeterred by the Biden admin’s efforts to reverse our progress.
Today, we continued to follow through on our promise to add physical barriers to the border where possible. 1/ <a href="https://t.co/eUk3LPD99E">pic.twitter.com/eUk3LPD99E</a>
&mdash; Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1584682575075082240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The unresolved border and public safety crisis caused by the Biden admin continues – in Arizona, we don’t stand idly by when our citizens need us most. Arizona isn’t afraid of a challenge. We will not back down. We will protect our state,&#8221; he added.
The decision to expand the use of shipping containers to address the border crisis follows a lawsuit filed by Arizona last week to affirm the state&#8217;s right to defend itself.
“Our border communities are overwhelmed by illegal activity as a result of the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/10/governor-ducey-arizona-border-barrier-mission-will-not-be-deterred" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“Arizona is taking action to protest on behalf of our citizens. With this lawsuit, we’re pushing back against efforts by federal bureaucrats to reverse the progress we’ve made. The safety and security of Arizona and its citizens must not be ignored. Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can. We’re not backing down,” he added.
The lawsuit came after Ducey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-rejects-biden-administrations-demand-to-remove-shipping-container-border-barrier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to comply with a demand by the Biden administration to remove shipping containers in the Yuma area.
The Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs sent a <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23132677/reclamationlettertoducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday to inform the administration that the state would not remove the containers until a permanent barrier is constructed.
“Arizonans cannot — and will not — wait for federal bureaucrats to do their job and secure the border. We’re taking action now,” Ducey <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1582766086952341505" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a> Wednesday.
The Border Barrier Mission took <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/08/governor-ducey-announces-border-wall-gaps-near-yuma-are-now-filled">11 days</a> to fill 3,820 feet of gaps in the border wall, using 130 shipping containers to complete the project, according to Ducey&#8217;s office.
Arizona state Republican Sen. Sine Kerr also vowed that the state would not be stopped from protecting its citizens.
“Yuma has experienced a humanitarian and national security crisis for far too long. The Biden administration created this problem, they need to end it and stop this bureaucracy game,” Kerr said in the statement.

Arizona shipping containers

Arizona Adding More Shipping Containers Along Southern Border Despite Biden Admin Criticism

Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon claimed in a statement late Tuesday night that the indictment he is facing in New York is a politically-motivated attempt to kneecap him ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Bannon is expected to turn himself in this week after The Washington Post reported that he is being indicted on state-level charges related to the federal charges he faced from a fraud scheme.
“Just days after being swatted three different times by deranged thugs from New York City inspired by the Biden Administration to assassinate me by police, the Soros-backed DA has now decided to pursue phony charges against me 60 days before the midterm election because [his show] is the major source of the MAGA grassroots movement,” Bannon claimed. “The SDNY did the exact same thing in August 2020 to try to take me out of the election. It didn&#8217;t work then, it certainly won&#8217;t work now. This is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system.”
“They are coming after all of us, not only President Trump and myself,” he concluded. “I am never going to stop fighting. In fact, I have not yet begun to fight. They will have to kill me first.”
Bannon received a pardon from former President Donald Trump in the federal case during the final days of the administration before the trial had a chance to conclude.
Bannon was charged in August 2020 for allegedly defrauding people who donated money to a crowdfunding campaign to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He was accused of stealing $1 million from more than $25 million raised to pay an alleged co-conspirator and hundreds of thousands in personal expenses.
The other two men charged in the scheme, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pled guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-leaders-we-build-wall-online-fundraising-campaign-plead-guilty-defrauding-hundreds">said</a> in a statement. Kolfage also pled guilty to tax and wire fraud charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
The Washington Post reported that the state case would be handled by Manhattan Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The state’s investigation into Bannon started under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr.
The report said that Bannon was expected to turn himself in on Thursday.
The new indictment that Bannon faces comes after he was found guilty of one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents to the January 6th House Select Committee. He is set to be sentenced in that case on Oct. 21, 2022. Each count carries a maximum of 30 days in jail and fines ranging from $100 to $100,000.
“The subpoena to Stephen Bannon was not an invitation that could be rejected or ignored,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/stephen-k-bannon-found-guilty-jury-two-counts-contempt-congress">said</a> Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Mr. Bannon had an obligation to appear before the House Select Committee to give testimony and provide documents. His refusal to do so was deliberate and now a jury has found that he must pay the consequences.”

Former White House’s chief strategist for Donald Trump

Steve Bannon Responds After Being Indicted On State Charges In New York

Fraud

Steve Bannon

Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is expected to turn himself in this week after reportedly being indicted on state-level charges related to the federal charges he faced in 2020 from a fraud scheme. He later received a pardon from former President Donald Trump in the federal case during the final days of the administration before the trial had a chance to conclude.
Bannon was charged in August 2020 for allegedly defrauding people who donated money to a crowdfunding campaign to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He was accused of stealing $1 million from more than $25 million raised to pay an alleged co-conspirator and hundreds of thousands in personal expenses.
The other two men charged in the scheme, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, pled guilty in April to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-leaders-we-build-wall-online-fundraising-campaign-plead-guilty-defrauding-hundreds">said</a> in a statement. Kolfage also pled guilty to tax and wire fraud charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
The Washington Post reported that the state case would be handled by Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The state&#8217;s investigation into Bannon started under Bragg’s predecessor, Cyrus R. Vance Jr.
The report said that Bannon was expected to turn himself in on Thursday.
The new indictment that Bannon faces comes after he was found guilty of one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents to the January 6th House Select Committee. He is set to be sentenced in that case on Oct. 21, 2022. Each count carries a maximum of 30 days in jail and fines ranging from $100 to $100,000.
“The subpoena to Stephen Bannon was not an invitation that could be rejected or ignored,” <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/stephen-k-bannon-found-guilty-jury-two-counts-contempt-congress">said</a> Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Mr. Bannon had an obligation to appear before the House Select Committee to give testimony and provide documents. His refusal to do so was deliberate and now a jury has found that he must pay the consequences.”
“The tenets of our government rely upon citizens adhering to the established rules of law. Lawful tools, such as subpoenas and other legal orders, are critical in our system of government,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Mr. Bannon was found guilty of contempt by a jury of his peers for his choice to ignore a lawful subpoena. The FBI will continue our sworn duty to investigate those who have committed violations of our laws and hold them accountable for their actions.”

Steve Bannon Verdict

Steve Bannon Indicted On State Charges In New York, Expected To Turn Himself In: Report

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> officials are crying foul play after part of the state&#8217;s temporary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border barrier</a> mysteriously fell over.
Part of the barrier, which is made of shipping containers stacked on top of each other and welded together, was shown lying on its side away from the rest of the barrier, according to photos taken by Univision Noticias Arizona correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/ClauRamosNews/status/1559162288178733057?s=20&amp;t=q9vLwm7eycYVa_ltjVOjsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Claudia Ramos</a>.
Construction crews onsite initially said the containers were knocked over by the wind, but a spokesperson for Governor Doug Ducey (R) said Wednesday that while southern Arizona frequently sees high winds, it is unlikely that they were strong enough to knock over the barrier.
“The idea that it was a weather-related event seems unlikely,&#8221; Ducey&#8217;s communications director, C.J. Karamargin, told the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/arizona-makeshift-border-wall-topples-foul-play-suspected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Examiner</a> Wednesday. &#8220;These things weigh 8,800 pounds. There were two of them together — 8,800 pounds is basically the weight of a Ford F-450. We have a lot of strong winds in Arizona. You don&#8217;t see a lot of Ford F-450s flying around when we have strong winds.”
Border Patrol agents found the barrier toppled over around midnight on Monday, the Washington Examiner reported. The barriers on one end of the wall had not yet been bolted down and welded to support structures when work crews left the site Sunday evening. Construction crews told <a href="https://twitter.com/ClauRamosNews/status/1559701891713339392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramos</a> that the containers had been knocked over by severe weather on Sunday. But photos from the damaged barrier, shared with the Examiner, showed that the container had been severely scratched and dented, and there was at least one large puncture at the bottom of the container. The damage &#8220;shows some sort of equipment was used to move them because it dented and put a hole in one of the sides of the container,” Karamargin told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/18/makeshift-arizona-border-wall-falls-over-doug-ducey-suspects-foul-play/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. “That doesn’t happen with wind.”
Construction crews were initially barred from responding to the site and securing the barrier by Border Patrol agents, who cited &#8220;heavy activity&#8221; in the area. But crews were allowed to return at around 6 a.m. local time, reinstalling the barrier by 7 a.m., the Examiner reported.
Karamargin told the Examiner that the effort to knock over the barrier was proof that it was necessary and worthwhile. “Some people attempted to dismiss this as a pointless effort because this is not the main route through which people enter the United States,” he said. “If this didn&#8217;t matter, if this barrier that we are erecting was irrelevant, or somehow misplaced, then why would someone make the effort to topple over nearly 18,000 pounds of shipping container? It just doesn&#8217;t make sense on its face. It doesn&#8217;t make sense. Our goal, of course, is to make Arizona communities safer. We clearly struck a nerve.”
The shipping containers were one piece of an improvised border barrier constructed by the state of Arizona while it waits for the Biden administration to install a permanent wall, after the administration reversed course and announced it would fill several border wall gaps in Arizona.
The structure, which stands about 22 feet high and fills a 1,000-foot gap in the border wall, is comprised of about 60 9&#215;40 foot shipping containers, double-stacked and welded together, and topped with razor wire. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doug-ducey-touts-arizonas-new-border-barrier-says-enormous-gap-in-wall-is-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ducey</a> announced the construction last Friday, and it was completed over the weekend.

An Aerial View Of The International Border Wall With Portions Still Under Construction

‘We Clearly Struck A Nerve’: Arizona Border Barrier Found Damaged, Knocked Over; Foul Play Suspected

'We Clearly Struck A Nerve': Arizona Official Suspects Foul Play After Border Barrier Found Damaged, Knocked Over

Arizona Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Ducey</a> touted the completion of the state’s new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border barrier</a> over the weekend.
In a Twitter post Monday, Ducey showed off <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona&#8217;s</a> temporary barrier, with before and after pictures of a nearly quarter-mile long gap in the southern border near Yuma. The before picture shows empty ground with construction vehicles in the background; the after picture shows the barrier, a series of double-stacked shipping containers topped with razor wire, being built. The project was announced shortly after construction had begun on Friday, and it was completed over the weekend.
&#8220;The thousand-foot gap in the border wall near Yuma is closed,&#8221; Ducey <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1559258445919821824?s=20&amp;t=Z7467kTMd_OaSWyHHHkRQQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>.
According to local news outlet KAWC, the Yuma construction was the first in a series of gaps that will be closed by the state. The next gap the state is targeting is one near the Morelos Dam outside Yuma, the outlet reported Monday.
“It is definitely helpful,” Yuma mayor Doug Nicholls said in an interview with local radio station <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5197309/yuma-mayor-gov-duceys-executive-order-to-fill-wall-gaps-definitely-helps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTAR</a> Friday. “It’s interim, but there’s 700 or 800 people coming through the border every day.” Nicholls admitted, however, that the barrier would not halt the flow of illegal immigrants totally. &#8220;[W]e have over 50 gaps in the wall,” he said. He also noted that there was a period of four days recently where Border Patrol agents simply could not handle the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border.
The gaps Arizona is currently filling are the same ones the Biden administration announced it was going to close in late July.
“In the last two weeks we got funding for filling the gaps, but it needs federal approval,” Nicholls said. But approvals to build a permanent wall will take a long time, so Nicholls said the temporary barriers are worth it. “Because of the time between now and then, it could take them 16 weeks or so to fill it,” he told KTAR. “That’s a lot of people coming through, I think it’s worth it to spend now and slow the flow.”
Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer said that the state is confident its decisions will hold up to legal scrutiny. “We have consulted with our legal team, and we feel confident in the decisions we’ve made that we’re moving forward with today,” Roemer told local news outlet <a href="https://www.kawc.org/news/2022-08-15/arizona-director-of-homeland-security-and-local-leaders-shed-light-on-duceys-border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KAWC</a>. Roemer also blasted the federal government for not moving to close the gaps faster. “Even the federal government has said these gaps must be filled, they’re just not doing it,” he said. “Their failure to act is what’s driving our sense of urgency right now. So, it would be very hypocritical for them to take action against us when they’re saying it needs to be done.”
The border barrier was built to close a nearly 1,000 foot-long gap in the wall near the Yuma sector of the southern border, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-bucks-biden-admin-begins-filling-in-huge-border-wall-gap-on-its-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Friday.
The barrier was constructed out of 60 9&#215;40-foot shipping containers, each one weighing about 8,800 pounds, double stacked, welded together, and topped with razor wire. The full structure stands about 22 feet high, shorter than the 30 foot-tall sections of bollard fencing installed by the Trump administration in the same area. The decision to start construction on the wall was made earlier last week, and state officials had not yet informed federal authorities at the time.

border wall

Doug Ducey Touts Arizona’s New Border Barrier, Says Enormous Gap In Wall Is ‘Closed’

Doug Ducey Touts Arizona's New Border Barrier, Says Enormous Gap In Wall Is 'Closed'

The state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> is taking action to fill in unfinished gaps in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border wall</a>.
Arizona Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Ducey</a> (R) signed an Executive Order Friday afternoon authorizing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to begin emergency construction to fill in a 1,000-foot-long gap in the border wall in the Yuma sector. The spur-of-the-moment order was abruptly announced after construction had already begun, and the governor&#8217;s office said construction would be concluded over the weekend. The order comes just days after the Biden administration lifted the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dhs-ready-to-end-trump-era-remain-in-mexico-border-policy">Remain in Mexico</a>&#8221; policy earlier this week.
“Arizona has had enough,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/08/governor-ducey-issues-executive-order-fill-gaps-border-wall">statement</a>. “We can’t wait any longer. The Biden administration’s lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty. For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border. Time and time again we’ve stepped in to clean up their mess. Arizonans can’t wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.”
“Our border communities are being used as the entryway to the United States, overwhelming law enforcement, hospitals, nonprofits and residents,” Ducey added. “It’s our responsibility to protect our citizens and law enforcement from this unprecedented crisis. With the resources and manpower in the right places, our Border Patrol and law enforcement will be better equipped to do their jobs well and prevent cartels from exploiting our communities. That’s exactly what our barrier mission will do.”
To construct the barrier, the state purchased 60 8,800 pound, 9&#215;40 foot shipping containers. The containers will be linked together, then welded shut and topped with concertina razor wire. The barrier will be about 22 feet high, shorter than the 30-foot panels of border wall installed by the Trump administration. The project is expected to cost about $6 million, which will be taken from the $335 million &#8220;Arizona Border Security Fund.&#8221;
The state first made the announcement in a press call Friday morning, just six minutes after construction had started, the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/arizona-reveals-new-border-wall-with-mexico-were-done-waiting">Washington Examiner</a> reported. The state had not yet informed the Department of Homeland Security or the White House of the decision at the time. The state itself had only made the decision this week, the Examiner noted.
&#8220;At this point, we are filling that gap and we&#8217;ll figure out the consequences,&#8221; Ducey&#8217;s general counsel, Anni Foster, told reporters, via the Examiner. &#8220;But bottom line is, is that the federal government has a duty to protect the states. They failed to do that. We have made every effort to work with them and try to resolve this problem, but the governor can no longer wait for the federal government to take action when we have a community like Yuma, who is being sheltered at 150% of capacity.&#8221;
C.J. Karamargin, Ducey&#8217;s communications director, said that the state had been waiting on action since the Biden administration announced in December that it was taking action to fill in the gaps in the wall. The Biden administration made a similar announcement in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-reverses-course-will-close-gaps-in-areas-of-border-wall-as-crisis-hits-d-c-elections-loom">July</a>. &#8220;December came and went. January, February, March. Here we are in mid-August,&#8221; Karamargin said. “We&#8217;ve been waiting a very long time for the federal government to act on measures they said they were going to do and we haven&#8217;t seen any tangible evidence that they&#8217;re following through. So we will be doing it ourselves.&#8221;
“Our hope is that they’ll be paying attention to the news today,&#8221; he added.
Arizona&#8217;s actions follow similar actions by the state of Texas to build its own border barrier. In October of last year, Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced that Texas was placing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-abbott-reveals-clever-way-texas-is-using-shipping-containers-to-stop-illegal-immigration">shipping containers</a> at several points along the border to create a barrier.

Migrant Border Crossings At The Southern Border Continue Despite Title 42 Ruling

Arizona Bucks Biden Admin, Begins Filling In Huge Border Wall Gap On Its Own

On Monday the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court">U.S. Supreme Court</a> certified a June 30 ruling that would allow the Biden Administration to end former President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” border policy. 
Just over a month ago, the nation’s highest court ruled 5-4 in Biden v. Texas that the current administration can end the Migrant Protection Protocols, otherwise known as Trump’s &#8220;Remain in Mexico&#8221; border policy. The policy required asylum seekers and other migrants who arrive at the U.S. southern border to remain in Mexico while they awaited their immigration trial.
“…the Government’s rescission of MPP did not violate section 1225 of the INA, and the October 29 Memoranda did constitute final agency action,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “We therefore reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. On remand, the District Court should consider in the first instance whether the October 29 Memoranda comply with section 706 of the APA.”
In 2021, President Joe Biden ordered an end to policy but faced litigation from Missouri and Texas, which sued the president’s administration for violating the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. A lower court ordered the Biden administration to reinstate the policy last December.
Roberts was joined by Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayer, Stephen Breyer, and Elena Kagan. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, and Amy Coney Barrett dissented.
<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/2022_0722_plcy_mpp_cohort_report_july_2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Homeland Security</a> says that approximately 70,000 migrants were subject to the policy until President Biden suspended it on his first day in office in January 2021. Since the court forced Biden to reinstate the policy, nearly 5,800 migrants were subject from December to June, with many traveling from Nicaragua, Cuba, Columbia, and Venezuela.  
Supporters of the policy called it an effective deterrent for illegal immigrants coming to the border claiming asylum, adding the program has been a net benefit since around 70,000 asylum-seekers have successfully passed through the program, while those seeking to enter the country illegally have been detained.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-mexico-immigration-alejandro-mayorkas-government-and-politics-642d82b25f8e44b0942a41c39d5e5e81">reports</a> the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration posted a sign at the Salvation Army migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, last week that informed asylum seekers of the policy’s status.
“Wait for official information! The Remain in Mexico (MPP) program remains in effect. The United States government will inform you of any changes.”
Charlotte Pence Bond and Tim Meads contributed to this report.

Migrant Border Crossings At The Southern Border Continue As Judge’s Title 42 Ruling Looms

Supreme Court Certifies Ruling Ending Trump’s ‘Remain In Mexico’ Border Policy

Remain In Mexico

Supreme Court

Trump Administration

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/canada">Canadian</a> school children are learning that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/free-speech">freedom of speech</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/free-speech">secure borders</a>, and their own country’s former flag are examples of hate, thanks to ultra-woke study materials paid for by Ottawa.
A booklet funded by a $268,400 government grant and called “Confronting and preventing hate in Canadian Schools” tells kids that bigots and white nationalists have infiltrated the conservative movement, and uses former President Trump’s border wall as an example of bigotry, <a href="https://tnc.news/2022/06/30/government-funded-hate-symbol/">True North reported</a>.
“This new resource will be delivered through workshops in schools across the country and it will help raise awareness with students,” Diversity Minister Ahmed Hussen said, adding it will be used to “teach core values to our kids.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Ahmed Hussen approved a $268,400 grant to fund the guide Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools. The guide, written by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, also warns students to be wary of classmates who speak fondly of Donald Trump. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/V50ncVjMwb">https://t.co/V50ncVjMwb</a>
&mdash; True North (@TrueNorthCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrueNorthCentre/status/1542978097347039232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The booklet, which was approved by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/justin-trudeau">Prime Minister Justin Trudeau</a>’s cabinet last week, warns kids to watch out for classmates who invoke “a free speech issue” in political conversations, because that is one of the “common defenses of hate propaganda.”
The booklet was written by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), which Hussen called “an organization that I respect very much.”
In explaining how teachers and students should react to a student who “invokes a bigoted ideology,” the booklet cites Trump’s wall as an example of triggering language to be on the lookout for.
“A student argues in favour of a problematic politician or policy (e.g. Trump’s wall) in a classroom discussion,” reads the example. On the same page, it offers another example: “A student uses the Hitler salute in class.”
The red ensign flag, which was Canada’s official banner until 1965, when it adopted the maple leaf, is another subtle symbol of hate, the booklet teaches. The old flag, which incorporates Britain’s Union Jack and Canada’s coat of arms against a red field, is a white supremacist dog whistle, according to CAHN.
“Its usage denotes a desire to return to Canada’s demographics before 1967 when it was predominantly white,” the booklet states.
Critics were quick to denounce the woke curriculum.
&#8220;Government-funded grievance-industry pamphlet to be disseminated in schools in order to stifle intellectual debate and discovery,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Natasha57861427/status/1542850675620601856?s=20&amp;t=acUVNBxP1_k9r0dEC4dSyw">tweeted Fringe Natasha of Honk Nation</a>. &#8220;Refers to red ensign as a hate symbol and associates the Conservative party with white supremacy. No critique of PM Blackface.&#8221;
&#8220;How sad is this the liberals brainwashing children,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Kenvinottawa/status/1543918265705054212?s=20&amp;t=acUVNBxP1_k9r0dEC4dSyw">tweeted KenVOttawa</a>. &#8220;On page 31 they call Trump&#8217;s wall an example of hate speech.&#8221;

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kamloops

Woke Canada Teaching Schoolkids Free Speech, Border Wall, Flag Hallmarks Of Hate

Woke Canada Teaching Schoolkids Free Speech, Border Wall, Flag Are Hallmarks Of Hate

Canada

Education

Free Speech

Justin Trudeau

Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law Thursday afternoon that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to build a border wall on his state&#8217;s border with Mexico, which comes amid the crisis that critics say has been unleashed by Democrat President Joe Biden&#8217;s policies.
The legislation directs $335 million in state cash &#8220;to construct and maintain a border fence, purchase or install border security technologies, and to pay associated administrative costs,&#8221; the governor&#8217;s office said.
&#8220;The state budget’s border funding contains $209 million in funding for border-related enforcement,&#8221; the Associated Press reported. &#8220;That includes a new jail in Cochise County and payments for local prosecutors and transportation. It also has $45 million for emergency operations and ‘fusion’ centers and $54 million in cash for local sheriff’s offices.&#8221;
Ducey blamed Biden for &#8220;the worst border crisis in over 20 years,” in <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/06/governor-ducey-signs-most-meaningful-border-security-legislation-state-history">remarks</a> that he made Thursday.
&#8220;I’ve been outspoken about the impact this crisis has on Arizonans, our communities and migrants,&#8221; Ducey said in a letter. &#8220;We’ve taken numerous steps to help resolve the chaos, including deploying the Arizona National Guard, signing legislation to address human smuggling and transporting migrants on a voluntary basis to Washington, D.C. Ultimately, however, securing our border is the responsibility of the federal government… With this investment, we are giving our law enforcement professionals another critical resource they need to successfully do their jobs. We are standing up for the rule of law, and we are cementing Arizona’s commitment to securing our state and our entire nation.&#8221;
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

Governor Abbott Holds Press Conference On Border Security

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Law That Sends Big Time Cash To Build Border Wall

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Law Sending Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars To Border Wall And Security

Menu