Report from the Department of Homeland Security on the Cost and Time for Building the Mexico Wall

Reuters reports that in an administrative report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has been seen by the news agency, the cost of building the Mexico wall is estimated at $21.6 billion and the time required for its construction is over three years. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has emphasized the construction of the wall at the U.S.-Mexico border following his election victory, as he had promised during his campaign. According to the U.S. President, the construction of this wall will help address issues such as curbing illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and enhancing security. However, this idea has its critics both inside and outside the United States. Ultimately, Mr. Trump issued the order to construct this wall on January 25. Before signing this order, he stated that the construction operations would begin within a few months and that Mexico would pay 100% of the costs to the U.S. The Mexican government and its President have repeatedly stated that they will not pay for the construction of this wall. The length of the U.S.-Mexico border is 3,200 kilometers, and currently, more than 1,000 kilometers of it is already fenced. Considering Reuters' report on the estimates from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the construction of the wall and fencing on the remaining 2,000 kilometers is expected to take until the year 2020. During his election campaign, Mr. Trump had estimated the cost of building the Mexico wall at $12 billion. Reuters states that the report from the Department of Homeland Security was prepared by several experts under the supervision of John Kelly, its Secretary. A spokesperson for the department stated that they would not comment on the confirmation of the existence of documents regarding the initial decision. A White House spokesperson also said it is too early to judge a report that has not been officially presented to the President. On Thursday, February 9, the President of the United States issued new orders to combat drug trafficking and violence against police forces in the country. According to U.S. media, the newly signed orders by Trump represent a significant part of his policies and main objectives to combat crime. In the first executive order on Thursday, the U.S. President called for action against cartels and international drug traffickers. The second executive order targets individuals who 'commit violence against police or intend to do so.' In a third order, Trump called for combating crime, focusing on immigration and illegal immigrants. A table prepared in The Economist, based on statistics from the U.S. Federal Police, shows that in the past two years, murder rates in U.S. cities have increased. On the other hand, crime and murder rates from 2000 to 2015 have significantly decreased compared to the last decade of the twentieth century.