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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSmugglers Cut Through Sections of Trump's Border Wall
Smugglers Cut Through Sections of Trumps Border Wall
November 2, 2019 at 7:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trumps border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage, the Washington Post reports.
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barriers steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes,.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall and are attached only to a panel at the very top their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling.
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barriers steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes,.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall and are attached only to a panel at the very top their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling.
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Smugglers Cut Through Sections of Trump's Border Wall (Original Post)
babylonsister
Nov 2019
OP
$100? Doesn't even take THAT much. I bought a new one at Harbor Freight for $20.
Goodheart
Nov 2019
#4
Farmer-Rick
(10,135 posts)1. Medieval wall vs power tools
And the power tool wins again.
brush
(53,743 posts)5. Yep, over, under or around, just about any wall can be breached.
Botany
(70,447 posts)2. Fake News ....Trump in Mississippi said that his wall can't be cut
Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)3. Here's the WaPo link:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/smugglers-are-sawing-through-new-sections-of-trumps-border-wall/2019/11/01/25bf8ce0-fa72-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html
By Nick Miroff
November 2, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
SAN DIEGO Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trumps border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage.
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barriers steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall and are attached only to a panel at the very top their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier so far coming with a $10 billion price tag was a central theme of Trumps 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it virtually impenetrable and likening the structure to a Rolls-Royce that border-crossers cannot get over, under or through.
The smuggling crews have been using other techniques, such as building makeshift ladders to scale and overtop the barriers, especially in the popular smuggling areas in and around San Diego, according to nearly a dozen U.S. agents and current and former administration officials.
</snip>
By Nick Miroff
November 2, 2019 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
SAN DIEGO Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trumps border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage.
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barriers steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall and are attached only to a panel at the very top their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier so far coming with a $10 billion price tag was a central theme of Trumps 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it virtually impenetrable and likening the structure to a Rolls-Royce that border-crossers cannot get over, under or through.
The smuggling crews have been using other techniques, such as building makeshift ladders to scale and overtop the barriers, especially in the popular smuggling areas in and around San Diego, according to nearly a dozen U.S. agents and current and former administration officials.
</snip>
Goodheart
(5,308 posts)4. $100? Doesn't even take THAT much. I bought a new one at Harbor Freight for $20.
LOL
Zaphod42
(92 posts)6. It's a Perfect, Beautiful Wall
Even the "magical wall" that protected Hogwarts was breached. smh...
SammyWinstonJack
(44,129 posts)7. OMG. #MAGA MEXICANS ALWAYS GET ACROSS.
keithbvadu2
(36,660 posts)8. Good one!