DHS announces plan to close holes in border wall
FILE – In this Thursday, June 10, 2021, file photo, a pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma,. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)
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(NewsNation) — Holes in the U.S.-Mexico border wall in the Yuma, Ariz. sector, which has been the scene of numerous migrant crossings, will be sealed off by the Biden Administration.
Department of Homeland Security officials announced the project, called the “Yuma Morelos Dam Project,” on Thursday, saying in a news release it will close four gaps in the wall to address “immediate life and safety risks” at the border.
The move comes after a series of drownings and rescues of migrants struggling to cross rapidly flowing waters of the Colorado River, near the Morelos Dam. Drownings and water rescues have also been reported in the Rio Grande River in Texas.
“This area presents safety and life hazard risks for migrants attempting to cross into the United States where there is a risk of drownings and injuries from falls,” DHS said in a news release. “This area also poses a life and safety risk to first responders and agents responding to incidents in this area.”