![A Border Patrol agent at work. - [Image credit - Gerald L. Nino, Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/12/7/660x290/b_502x220x82/a-border-patrol-agent-at-work-image-credit-gerald-l-nino-wikimedia-commons_1723929.jpg "A Border Patrol agent at work. - [Image credit - Gerald L. Nino, Wikimedia Commons]")
The US-Mexico Border Wall was an election promise of Donald Trump, and work is progressing on the first stage. A total of eight prototypes have been constructed in San Diego as per specifications, and agents from Custom and Border Protection’s tactical unit are engaged in carrying out tests to ensure that they meet the requirements.
Newsweek reports that the Border Patrol agents are battering the prototypes with jackhammers and saws in order to check out their durability and the likelihood of a breach. These would continue for nearly two months, and during this period the prototypes would be put through a series of rigorous testing to ensure durability.
No entry for smugglers
One of the reasons for the US-Mexico border wall is to keep out smugglers. Therefore it must have inbuilt characteristics to ensure that it cannot be breached, and the testing schedule of the prototypes has been designed accordingly. Border Patrol agents would try to scale the wall using different methods that smugglers usually adopt on the southwest border, and check out if the wall can withstand such treatment. Incidentally, the tests will not include vehicles, drones, catapults, or explosives.
The venue is San Diego and there is a veil of secrecy surrounding the tests. Even the media is not allowed because the authorities do not want any information to leak out. Once all the tests are completed, the final design will be drawn up and it could be a mix of various designs.
The dream wall of safety
The 2000-mile long US-Mexico border wall is expected to ensure that America will be safe from the clutches of smugglers, and will not be pestered by illegal immigrants. Donald Trump had indicated that Mexico would pay for the wall but, the possibility of such financing is remote.
However, work has started and the eight prototypes have been completed in the San Diego sector in October.
Four of them are made of concrete and the remaining are of non-concrete material. The final design of the wall will take into consideration the best of each of the individual designs.
Incidentally, there has already been a drop in the number of illegal crossovers into America. Statistics of the Border Patrol reveal a decline of nearly 25 percent as compared to the figures of the previous year even without the wall.
If the security mechanism at the borders is beefed up with modern gadgets and additional manpower, the illegal entry could reduce still further. In the opinion of critics, the wall will be a waste of money.
