
The statement said the Trump administration is proposing the construction of 46 miles of border wall south of Deming – an area the senators said is where a majority of those arriving are seeking asylum.
The project reportedly includes vehicle-barrier replacement beginning approximately 17-and-a-half miles west of the Columbus port of entry, and continuing in non-contiguous segments approximately 35 miles east of the port.
A Udall spokesperson said the Department of Defense indicated existing vehicle barriers would be replaced with segments of pedestrian fence, to include an 18-foot-high steel structure.
The joint statement said the Trump administration’s decision to visit the border in El Paso Wednesday was part of a campaign to –quote— “deceive the American people that there is a national security crisis at the El Paso and New Mexico border.” –end quote-
Both senators said the only crisis is a humanitarian one of the administration’s own creation – caused by its policy of not allowing asylum-seekers to present themselves at official border crossings.