Tag: border wall
Bannon Crony Will Plead Guilty In 'Border Wall’ Fraud

Bannon Crony Will Plead Guilty In 'Border Wall’ Fraud

An ally of former President Donald Trump, who also led the campaign effort to raise funding to build the border wall, has agreed to enter a guilty plea on fraud charges amid accusations that he misappropriated funds for the project. The case is in connection with the We Build the Wall border project.

In addition to the fraud charges for attempt and conspiracy to commit wire, Brian Kolfage, a right-wing propagandist on social media, has reportedly agreed to enter a guilty plea for tax fraud for falsifying information on his 2019 taxes, according to court documents filed in the federal Southern District of New York.

Prosectors shared details about Kolfage's income claims noting that he "first claimed to have earned $63,574 that year and then filed a correction claiming $300,000, but officials claimed Kolfage's income for that year 'were materially in excess of that amount.'"

Although Kolfage initially claimed he "wouldn't earn 'a penny in salary or compensation'" from the efforts to raise funds for the border wall, federal prosecutors argue otherwise.

Per Reuters, prosecutors have indicated Kolfage "told prospective donors he would 'not take a penny' as he raised more than $25 million, yet took more than $350,000 and spent money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery, among other expenses."

Despite the staggering fundraising efforts, Fisher Sand & Gravel, the contractor employed to complete the project, also claims that the organization "pulled out of the $8 million project and paid for only $1.5 million of it," according to Buzzfeed.

The charges against Kolfage follow similar charges brought against former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon, who escaped prosecution when Trump pardoned him. Kolfage, who faces the possibility of a maximum of 20 years behind bars in connection with the wire and fraud charges, is expected to change his plea status on April 21.

Printed with permission from Alternet.

New Data Shows Trump’s ‘Impenetrable’  Border Wall Is A Costly Failure

New Data Shows Trump’s ‘Impenetrable’ Border Wall Is A Costly Failure

When former President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail, he spoke numerous times about erecting an "impenetrable" border wall while promising his supporters that it would combat the uptick in illegal immigrants crossing the border. However, a newly-released report proves otherwise.

According to The Washington Post, the supposedly impassable wall, which spans over 458 miles across remote parts of Arizona and New Mexico, has reportedly been breached thousands of times. Details about the recorded breaches were reportedly found in unpublished data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The information, which was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act revealed Mexican smugglers managed to breach the wall a total of 3,272 times over three years."

The report also highlights the cost of expenses to repair the wall as a result of breaches. Between 2019 and 2021, the federal government spent approximately $2.6 million to repair the wall and, according to CBP, "the maintenance records show damage has been more widespread than previously known, pointing to the structure’s limitations as an impediment to illegal crossings."

So, how are smugglers able to break through the presumably impassable barrier? The report suggests it's not as difficult as one might assume. The Washington Post's Nick Miroff offered a quick breakdown of how the breaches are occurring.

Per the Post:

"Smuggling gangs typically cut the barrier with inexpensive power tools widely available at retail hardware stores, including angle grinders and demolition saws. 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."

Luis Miranda, a spokesperson for the government agency, weighed in on the report with facts about border security. According to Miranda, effective border protocols "requires a variety of resources and efforts, infrastructure, technology, and personnel.”

In a statement, he also noted that: “No structure is impenetrable, so we will continue to work to focus resources on modern, effective border management measures to improve safety and security."

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Fox Host Bartiromo Attacks Security Measures At Biden Home

Fox Host Bartiromo Attacks Security Measures At Biden Home

Fox News and Fox Business are criticizing the building by the Secret Service of a fence around the Delaware vacation home of President Joe Biden and his family. In segments broadcast on both networks, the building of the fence was juxtaposed with the halt in construction of former President Donald Trump's border wall on the border between the United States and Mexico. Biden halted work on the wall on Jan. 20, his first day in office.

Read NowShow less
Stephen Miller on Fox

On Fox, Stephen Miller Falsely Claims Migrant Kids Were ‘Humanely Returned’ To Families

Reprinted with permission from Media Matters

Former Trump administration senior adviser Stephen Miller appeared Thursday morning on Fox & Friends, to attack President Joe Biden's immigration policies. During the interview, Miller falsely claimed that the Trump administration maintained a practice of "safely and humanely" returning unaccompanied minor immigrants to their families.

In fact, the practices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials during the Trump administration were notorious for their dysfunctional treatment of unaccompanied minors. A ProPublica report last year titled "The Trump Administration Is Rushing Deportations of Migrant Children During Coronavirus" included young children who had "a parent in the U.S. ready to receive them, and no one in their home country to care for them," and teenagers with dangerous family situations waiting for them back home.

The New York Times also documented that the administration had "deported hundreds of migrant children alone — in some cases, without notifying their families," which also included other relatives in the United States, and that "others have been pushed back into Mexico, where thousands of migrants are living in filthy tent camps and overrun shelters." The Times also reported the Trump administration had ordered the expulsion of minors who still had pending asylum appeals. Congressional Democrats had charged that the administration's practices violated the existing federal law for the treatment of unaccompanied children, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

Miller played a key role in advocating for the worst abuses of Trump-era immigration policies, but on Fox & Friends, he claimed those policies actually "saved lives" and "kept children safe."

Video fileVideo Player00:0004:17SHARE


Fox News has been continuously fearmongering against Biden's immigration policies, including a false claim that undocumented immigrants who committed violent crimes would not be investigated and deported, and alleging that immigration was the real insurrectionagainst America, rather than the attack against the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6. The network also recently attacked Biden's policies by repeatedly showing b-roll footage of a migrant caravan that had been broken up while crossing from Honduras into Guatemala, a 1,400-mile journey from U.S. territory.