Smugglers using $100 saws to get through Trump's new border wall

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Smugglers using $100 saws to get through Trump's new border wall

Steven Adams | Saturday, November 2, 2019 1:34 p.m.

In this July 17, 2019 photo, three migrants who had managed to evade the Mexican National Guard and cross the Rio Grande onto U.S. territory walk along a border wall set back from the geographical border, in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Smugglers in Mexico are sawing through new sections of U.S. border fence using tools commonly available at The Home Depot.

Smuggling gangs along the southern U.S. border are repeatedly cutting through the steel-and-concrete posts of President Trump’s new fence using off-the-shelf power tools, reports The Washington Post. Government agents and officials tell The Post these openings are large enough for people to pass through.

Battery-powered reciprocating saws, available for around $100, fitted with specialized blades can slice the base of the vertical bollards of the barrier in a matter of minutes, The Post reports. The tall, dangling posts can then be bent aside to allow passage.

The barrier has, so far, cost taxpayers $10 billion and has been a central theme of Trump’s presidency. The Post reports that the president has been increasingly boasting about the barrier, calling it “virtually impenetrable” with “Rolls-Royce” quality that repels border crossers.

This Washington Post video compares Trump’s claims with observations of the border fence.

Read the full story at WashingtonPost.com.

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