DHS posts an ungrammatical plea that ‘Walls Work’
“We have never built wall that high.”
On December 12th, the Department of Homeland Security posted a passionate but ungrammatical announcement that sounds as though much of it was dictated directly by President Trump.
The formal press release reads: “DHS is committed to building wall and building wall quickly. We are not replacing short, outdated, and ineffective wall with similar wall. Instead, under this President we are building a wall that is 30-feet (sic) high. FACT: Prior to President Trump taking office, we have never built wall that high.”
It’s possible that “building wall” is some kind of construction shorthand. But construction shorthand has no place in a formal press release issued by a major government agency. Also, the first reference to a president (or any agency official) should include the person’s full name. To have the first reference read “under this President” is a sure sign that whoever wrote this agency announcement is a rank amateur.
The few bits and pieces that are grammatically correct appear to have been lifted directly from Customs and Border Patrol documents originally published in 2011, and (ironically) from a two-part encyclopedia titled Anti-Immigration in the United States, by Kathleen R. Arnold.
One sentence is particular has phrasing which is repeated throughout several 2011 documents published by the DHS and CBP: “Border security relies on a combination of border infrastructure, technology, personnel and partnerships with law enforcement at the state, local, tribal, and federal level.”
The article goes on to assure us that 30 of 84 planned miles of fencing have been completed in 2018.
What I find interesting about this is that DHS says $1.375 billion equates to 84 miles of fencing. That means fencing is costing American taxpayers $16,369,047 (16 million dollars) per mile, or $3,100 per linear foot.
Frankly, I have no problem with DHS directing resources and improved fencing to area hotspots and sections that CBP have indicated as priority needs (although I think they could get a much better deal on fencing).
I do take issue, however, with hyperbolic language and playing loose with facts. Using emotionally-charged language like violent, mob, and assaultive, the Homeland Security press release claims that “a violent mob of 1,000 people stormed our Southern border.” This is untrue. A small group of protestors charged the border — not 1,000 people.
(Also, Southern should not be capitalized. It’s not a country, for crissakes. But whatever.)
Before and after photos featuring a CBP truck carefully placed before the wall sections have vastly different treelines behind them. Either the photos were not taken at the same location, as implied, or it took DHS a century to rebuild the wall section. To be fair, the truck might have been parked there just to give the viewer a sense of scale for the height of the fence. But, it still appears hinky.
“What’s next you might ask?” My first response would be: a comma after next, but DHS goes on to breezily announce that it is standing by to build 330 miles of fencing. At $16 million per mile, my calculator says that will cost taxpayers just over $5 billion, which is exactly what President Trump is currently requesting.
