In Test, DHS Cuts Through Trump’s Steel Slat Wall With A Saw

Donald Trump now wants a steel slat wall on the Mexican border. In his Oval Office address to the nation Tuesday he said such a wall was “absolutely critical to border security.”

But Department of Homeland Security (DHS) testing of an officially approved prototype of such a steel slat wall showed that it can easily be cut through with a saw. The information on the test was provided in a report from DHS that was reported by NBC News.

The exclusive NBC News article posted online shows a photo of the results of the test. The prototype steel slat wall had gaping holes cut into it with saws.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

Under DHS testing procedures, military and Border Patrol experts were instructed to attempt to destroy the steel slasts with commonly available tools.

The Trump administration had previously ordered the construction of eight steel and concrete prototype walls. They were built in Otay Mesa, California, just across the border from Tijuana, Mexico. Trump went to the border to inspect the prototypes in March of last years. He has now reportedly decided that he wants a steel slat, or steel bollard, design for his proposed border barrier additions. Steel bollard fencing has been used selectively in some places under previous presidential administrations.

Testing by DHS in 2017 showed that every one of the eight prototypes that were constructed, including the steel slats, could be easily breached.

The results of the testing were published in February 2018 in an internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection report.

Photos of the breaches were not included in a redacted version of the CBP report, which was first obtained in a Freedom of Information Act Request by San Diego public radio station KPBS.

The photo of testing results obtained by NBC News was taken at the testing location along the California-Mexico border.

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.