Letter to the Editor: Trump’s Border Wall

Last week California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the federal government is overstepping its bounds by waiving environmental reviews and other laws to build President Trump’s border wall.

4

The number of companies that were selected to build concrete prototypes of the wall. Each prototype will be 30 feet tall by 30 feet wide.

1,989

The length in miles of the border, spanning four states – California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.

170,000

The number of people who successfully entered the U.S. illegally from the southern border in 2015, which is down significantly from the estimated 1.7 million who crossed the border in 2005.

$1.6 billion

The amount the House passed in July for wall construction in a massive spending bill.

5.6 million

The estimated number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico.

$21.6 billion

The estimated cost to build the wall, almost three times as much as the $8 billion the President claimed the price tag would be in February 2016.

Source:  MSNBC, Department of Homeland Security, Pew Research Center