The border wall has been breached thousands of times by smugglers

The U.S. border wall has been breached 3,272 times by smugglers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) records obtained by The Washington Post.

According to the CPB data, Mexican smuggling gangs sawed through portions of the Trump administration’s 500-mile border to move goods across country lines. The gangs cut the barrier with inexpensive power tools to cut through the wall’s bollards. 

“Once the 18-to-30-foot-tall bollards are severed near the ground, their only remaining point of attachment is at the top of the structure, leaving the steel beam dangling in the air. It easily swings open with a push, creating a gap wide enough for people and narcotics to pass through,” wrote the post. 

While the CBP has acknowledged that smugglers have been able to breach the wall in the past, the new records show that the damage is more widespread than initially believed. 

In a 25-mile segment of the new border wall alone, the Washington Post found 71 bollards that had been repaired. 

“Some of the bollards were marked “BREACH” in white lettering, and most had the date of their repairs scrawled just above the welded segments,” the news outlet reported.

In another section of the wall, smuggling organizations have made holes enough that allow an SUV to pass through, reported The Guardian.

From 2019 to 2021, the U.S. government spent $2.6 million to repair the breaches, show the records. 

“No structure is impenetrable, so we will continue to work to focus resources on modern, effective border management measures to improve safety and security,” said CBP spokesman Luis Miranda.