Trump gets his wall, apparently with help from south of the border

President Donald Trump's border wall has been built apparently with assistance from Mexicans who were smuggled into the United States illegally.

That may be an ironic final note for the project that has become the symbol of Trump's disputed, hard-line approach to immigration policy.

The wall was supposed to block people from Mexico and other countries from crossing the border illegally, and keep them from taking U.S. jobs. The border barrier may be doing that, to some degree.

But in at least one instance, construction of the wall may have resulted in just the opposite, according to a federal lawsuit reported by the New York Times on Dec. 7.

The first paragraph of the Times' story seems fantastical: "Two whistle-blowers have accused contractors building President Trump's border wall of smuggling armed Mexican security teams into the United States to guard construction sites, even building an illegal dirt road to speed the operation, according to court documents … ."

Trump had promised Mexico would pay for the wall, which hasn't happened. If the accusations prove true, that means U.S. taxpayer dollars likely were used to pay Mexicans to help with the project.

The claims were made by a former deputy sheriff in San Diego County and a former FBI special agent who were providing security for the wall construction, according to the Times.

"An unnamed supervisor at the Army Corps of Engineers approved the operation, according to a complaint … ."

The contractor dismissed the accusations, contending they came from disgruntled security officers, while federal officials declined to comment on pending litigation.

Regardless of how that plays out, it appears Trump may reach his goal of constructing 450 miles of border wall, or fencing, during his term. As of a month ago, more than 400 miles had been built. Most of it is replacing existing old and sometimes dilapidated barriers.

Construction has been ramped up in recent months and in some locations work reportedly has been going on around the clock.

When he ran for president, Trump suggested a continuous wall would stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. That was never practical and, in some regions, would have taken an engineering miracle. He has since ratcheted back his ambitions at least a few times.

Biden has pledged to take a more high-tech approach to border security and bolster the ports of entry.

Shutting down construction can be done, but it won't be easy and would be costly. Halting work in progress would be logistically difficult. Even where construction has not begun, contracts have been let, plans have been drawn and land has been acquired.

In most cases, the federal government has the right to terminate contracts, but the contractors will seek, and likely receive, compensation. There are also lawsuits against the Trump administration's move to seize private land for the wall that would need to be untangled.

In areas that have been prepped for wall construction, unknown clean-up and land restoration costs await.

Biden has made clear he won't tear down what Trump has already built, disappointing some opponents of the wall.

Tearing down newly built barriers would be akin to waving a red flag in front of wall supporters.

That would distract from other Biden priorities, namely dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, but also other moves on immigration.

Unwinding Trump policies on refugees, asylum, legal immigration and more will take some doing. Biden also wants to make permanent the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump tried to dismantle. Additionally, he hopes to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Maintaining the existing wall will cost money, but that may be more palatable than the expense and controversy involved with tearing it down.

The wall has become a symbol of Trump and that heightens the passion of people who don't want it.

The last three Democratic presidential candidates — Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Biden — all voted for border fencing as U.S. senators. Obama deported so many people that some immigrant advocates dubbed him the "deporter in chief."

President Bill Clinton famously launched "Operation Gatekeeper" in San Diego County in 1994 to combat illegal immigration.

As with so many of his policies, Trump's approach to immigration became inseparable from his persona of bluster and harsh rhetoric.

For a one-term president, he will have left a tremendous imprint on the country — politically, emotionally and even physically.

Trump may never get a monument on the National Mall, but he'll have one along the Southwest border for some time to come.