U.S. issues call for border-wall designs

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's administration late Friday took the first steps toward fulfilling a campaign promise, requesting proposals to build a "physically imposing" wall on the border with Mexico.

The request follows the release Thursday of Trump's first budget proposal, which includes money to pay for planning and construction of the wall. The budget calls for $2.6 billion to be spent on "tactical infrastructure" and other security technology at the border, including money to plan, design and begin building the wall.

Trump had long promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, which he has said is necessary to stop the flow of people crossing the border illegally and drug smugglers.

The request for proposals adds further details about the Department of Homeland Security's plans for the wall, including the kind of construction materials to be used, its height and even plans to make it aesthetically pleasing.

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The structure also would have anti-climbing features and would be designed to prevent tunneling underneath it.

The newly released request for proposals calls for two types of border wall prototypes. One proposal is for a wall that would be composed of reinforced concrete and "be physically imposing in height."

The proposal said the wall should be about 30 feet high, but added that it could be lower in some instances.

"Offerers should consider this height, but designs with heights of at least 18 feet may be acceptable," the proposal documents said. "Designs with heights of less than 18 feet are not acceptable."

The request from Customs and Border Protection also said vendors should submit wall designs that make it essentially impossible for a person to climb or gain access with a ladder.

"The wall design shall include anti-climb topping features that prevent scaling using common and more sophisticated climbing aids (e.g. grappling hooks, handholds, etc.)," the agency said in the proposal request.

To address concerns that drug cartels or others may dig tunnels under the wall, the proposals ask for designs that "prevent digging or tunneling below it for a minimum of 6 feet below the lowest adjacent grade."

The proposals also say the wall must include 25- and 50-foot automated gates for pedestrians and vehicles. The proposed wall also must be built in such a way that it would take at least an hour to cut through it with a "sledgehammer, car jack, pick axe, chisel, battery operated impact tools, battery operated cutting tools, Oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools."

Despite the desire to make the wall imposing, Homeland Security officials also want to ensure that the structure is not too hard on the eyes, at least from the U.S. side.

"The north side of wall (i.e. U.S. facing side) shall be aesthetically pleasing in color, anti-climb texture, etc., to be consistent with general surrounding environment," the proposal said.

The total cost for the project is unclear, but the Government Accountability Office estimates that it would cost about $6.5 million a mile for a fence to keep pedestrians from crossing the border and about $1.8 million a mile for a vehicle barrier.

Congressional Republicans have said Trump's wall would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion and Trump has suggested $12 billion.

Trump has said in recent days that the wall is ahead of schedule, though it's unclear from the latest contract notices if any companies have submitted wall proposals or if any such submissions have been rejected.

The government has not said where the wall will be built, though the contract notices suggest that some pieces of a new wall could replace existing fencing that stretches about 700 miles of the roughly 2,000-mile border.

The current fencing is of mixed construction, including 15-foot steel posts set inches apart in an effort to keep people from crossing and shorter posts that are intended to block cars. Border Patrol agents are constantly repairing holes in the structure.

Trump's proposed budget allocates $314 million to hire and train 500 new Border Patrol agents and 1,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel next year. The administration ultimately wants 5,000 new Border Patrol agents and 10,000 immigration agents.

An additional $1.5 billion in the budget proposal would pay to build more detention centers for border crossers and to fund their removal from the country.

Information for this article was contributed by Ron Nixon of The New York Times and by Alicia A. Caldwell and Elliot Spagat of The Associated Press.

A Section on 03/19/2017

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