Republican congressmen are planning to include in the 2018 budget of the Department of Homeland Security the $ 1.6 billion that the White House requested to begin building a wall between the United States and Mexico, according to the bill unveiled today.
The proposed departure of the House Appropriations Committee also provides $ 100 million for the hiring of 500 Border Patrol agents and $ 185.6 million for a thousand immigration agents.
These numbers coincide with those requested in late May by the White House through its Office of Management and Budget.
Trump asked for $ 1.6 billion to build a 32-mile (51.5-kilometer) wall in the Rio Grande Valley (South Texas) and another 28-mile (45-km) fence in the same area.
It also raised another 14 miles (22.5 km) of wall in the San Diego (California) sector, to replace the existing fence.
These are some of the “most detained” areas along the southern border and where the wall “will prevent,” according to the DHS, “drug traffickers and people.”
Despite the agreement within the Republican House, which is comfortably dominated by the House of Representatives, it is not clear that Congress will finally approve these budgets, since to obtain Senate approval they need a minimum of eight affirmative Democratic votes.
Democrats have already warned to block any budget proposal that includes items for the wall, so that obstruction can lead to a closure of the Administration.
