The halted construction of President Trump's southern border wall left a trail of demolition and obstruction, with landowners and conservationists looking for solutions in the Biden era, the Washington Post reports. One of the hardest hit areas in the demolition to clear way for the wall was in Guadalupe Canyon, Az., a mountainous stretch of borderland where wildlife crossings are common and "conservation ranchers" operate close to the border. At $41 million dollars per mile, the construction was expensive precisely because of how intractable the land is, which conservationists say should have been reason not to build there. “The mountains are a natural deterrent,” said resident and rancher Sage Goodwin. Other critics say that increased use of technology along the border along with the use of vehicle barriers could solve the issue of smuggling while allowing animals to move freely.
President Biden has called the wall a "waste of money." Still, some Customs and Border Patrol officials maintain that the wall is an effective asset for agents despite reports of migrants crossing at the gaps, scaling it with ladders, and sawing through it. Republicans have been clamoring for Biden to close the gaps in the wall, while supporters of President Trump's possible candidacy for re-election in 2024 have rallied around cries to finish the wall, of which 450 miles of a planned 700 were completed. Biden has pleased neither Republicans nor the most fervent conservationists. He has refused to tear down the structure and has added some new barriers in the form of flood levees in the Rio Grande, though he has also announced some plans to remedy damage done during construction.