US agrees to allocate $ 1 billion to border security with Mexico

SANAA, March 27 (YPA) – The United States agreed to allocate $ 1 billion to strengthen security on the US border with Mexico.

US Defense Secretary Patrick Chanahan said in a statement that the amount would be used to build a 92-kilometer-long, 5.5-meter border wall near El Paso, Texas, as well as road construction and installation of lighting.

The move “supports the National Emergency Declaration issued on Feb. 15 on the southern border of the United States, with the goal of preventing drug trafficking across the border,” the statement said.

The federal government entered a partial 35-day closure in December and January because of the stand-off between Trump and his Democratic rivals, who refused to pass legislation giving the president $ 5.7 billion to build a wall along the border with Mexico.