US President Joe Biden revokes Trump's emergency order on US-Mexico border wall

 President Biden announced that it shall be the policy of his administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.

US President Joe Biden on February 11, 2021 revoked the emergency order issued by former President Donald Trump for the construction of the US-Mexico border wall.

Biden wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border was unwarranted."

President Biden announced that it shall be the policy of his administration that no more American taxpayer money be diverted to construct a border wall.

Key Highlights

•President Biden will be directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end. 

•In early 2020, the Customs and Border Protection had reported that it had found USD 11 billion in funding for the wall.

•Trump had signed an executive order declaring national emergency to build US-Mexico border wall on February 15, 2019 after repeatedly clashing with lawmakers over funding for the project.

•The proclamation of emergency had landed his administration in court, as environmental groups and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had challenged USD 2.5 billion in Department of Defense spending that had been diverted to complete construction of the US-Mexico wall. 

•The letter by the environmental groups was welcomed by the members of Congress who have since long opposed the construction of the wall, arguing that a physical barrier would do little to address immigration or security concerns.

Background 

Donald Trump had first put forward the idea of constructing the US-Mexico border wall during his presidential campaign trail in 2016. 

He had been repeatedly insisting that Mexico would pay for its construction.