Construction begins on border wall project near downtown Calexico

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it has started construction of a border wall replacement near downtown Calexico.

The project includes the replacement of a 2.25-mile wall section, built in the 1990s out of recycled scraps of metal and old landing mat, with 30-foot high bollard style wall.

The project covers an area from approximately the Calexico West Port of Entry extending westward beyond the Gran Plaza Outlets, and will also include around 2.25 miles of all-weather roads.

The CBP said that the El Centro Sector wall replacement is one of its highest priority projects. Although the existing wall has proven effective at deterring unlawful cross border activity, smuggling organizations damaged and breached this outdated version of a border wall several hundred times during the last two years, resulting in costly repairs, the agency said in a statement.

This 2.25-mile replacement is the first border wall project under President Donald Trump, who is looking to build a wall along the southwest border.