Heavy equipment has been moved into the eastern suburbs of San Diego to start demolishing eight massive wall prototypes President Donald Trump commissioned 16 months ago for $20 million, which was allocated from unused border-protection funds. Four concrete and four steel walls will be dismantled to pave the way for a new $131 million project that includes 14-miles of fencing comprised of 30-foot high steel slats. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement to justify why the expensive prototypes were to be dismantled rather than incorporated into the fencing project. “Constructing a single design of secondary wall is more practical and effective than attempting to connect the eight prototypes to each other and the new wall due to different wall designs and foundations,” according to the statement. “Removing the prototypes would be less expensive than integrating the prototypes into the new Secondary Border Wall. The long-term maintenance for multiple unique walls is a greater cost to taxpayers.”
