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Trump-Lai Call Remains Uncertain as U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan Intensify 
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One of former President Donald Trump’s campaign pledges was to block the southern border from migrants by building a wall. The wall, while inevitably shut down by Joe Biden, was reportedly often compromised by migrants looking to cross using cheap ladders.
The wall that was being built to close off the southern border to migrants, did not stop migrants seeking to cross over to the US. US Border Patrol officials have been finding discarded ladders that migrants use to climb over the portions of the wall that was built under the Trump administration. The officials have resorted to calling authorities in Hidalgo, Texas, to take away the discarded ladders.
Texas Monthly reports that the ladders were reportedly the method for migrants for crossing along the Granjeno-Hidalgo stretch of the border. Local artist and activist Scott Lowry even mocked the function of the former president’s supposed wall. Lowry added that the ladders are more useful than the wall Trump was seeking to build using Mexican funds.
“It’s made of cheap, rough wood, quickly nailed together because it’s only going to be used once,” said Lowry regarding the ladders. “Unlike the wall, these ladders are functional.”
Lowry added that the wall only serves as “a backdrop for politicians who want to rile up their voters.”
However, McAllen-based border patrol official Chris Cabrera defended the use of the wall. Cabrera said that climbing over the wall would give officers time to catch migrants that are looking to cross over to the US. Cabrera also noted that the border patrol officers are currently very busy as the Biden administration sees record numbers of migrants looking to enter the US.
In other news, a report found that Trump administration officials purposely blocked aid for Puerto Rico in light of the hurricane that devastated the region. The report also noted that the Trump administration also blocked an investigation into why the Congressionally-approved aid for the territory was blocked.
The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Public Housing and Development issued the findings that were made public Thursday. The report noted that the tensions between the agency and the Office of Management and Budget led to unprecedented procedural hurdles that resulted in delays in disbursement of funds.
