The DHS Inspector General said the $69 million “could have been put to better use.” CBP officials defend the expenditure.
SAN DIEGO — In the last three years, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has spent approximately $1.2 billion to build a total of 299 miles of fencingalong the U.S.-Mexico border in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
According to the audit, CBP purchased much more steel than it needed. It also came up with a budget estimate before legally acquiring land or meeting international treaty obligations.
And as a result of storing the unused steel, CBP incurred high storage costs, and even interest on late storage payments.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General said the $69 million dollars “could have been put to better use.”
But in an email response to a request for an interview, a CBP spokesperson refuted the report’s findings. The spokesperson said the funds actually helped with: “The successful completion of the fence within the strict time constraints.”
Photo credit: Ruxandra Guidi
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