Despite the mainstream media continuing to insist that the President isn’t building any new border walls, sections of new or vastly improved “barrier systems” continue to appear as if by magic. And last week these efforts appeared to kick things up another gear, though you probably didn’t hear about it on most cable news outlets. The Department of the Interior is transferring more than 500 acres of federal land to the Department of the Army. The land will be used to begin construction on another 70 miles of border wall, so make room for the construction brigades, folks. (Epoch Times)

Approximately 560 acres of federal land will be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Army to facilitate work on roughly 70 miles of border barrier, the Interior Department announced on Sept. 18. The transfer of administrative jurisdiction of the federal land is in response to a series of applications submitted by the Army for construction or replacement of barriers along the southern border. The land transfer doesn’t include national parks or any Native American land. “I’ve personally visited the sites that we are transferring to the Army, and there is no question that we have a crisis at our southern border,” Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said in a statement. “Absent this action, national security and natural resource values will be lost.”

Anticipating the predictable backlash and lawsuits from Democrats and their supporters (who keep insisting they don’t support open borders), it appears that the land in question was chosen carefully. None of it includes national parks or lands belonging to indigenous tribes. None of it is on private property. Anyone looking to challenge this move will have a tough time demonstrating they have standing to do so.

The sections of border in question are among our more troubled stretches, dealing with significant rates of illegal crossings. One region is in both Luna and Hidalgo Counties in New Mexico. They’re located just to the west of El Paso, Texas. There are already plenty of Army troops assigned in the region so they should be able to get to work there pretty quickly.

The next piece is in Yuma County, Arizona, near the California border. The final stretch will be constructed in San Diego County, California. That’s one of our busiest areas for border traffic and has been featured in many news reports covering this topic. It’s also badly in need of upgrades and repairs.

Seventy more miles still isn’t going to get us anywhere near the goal of a major barrier stretching from sea to shining sea, nor do I know if we’ll ever reach that goal. But as long as construction is taking place in the areas where it’s physically easiest to reach and cross our border, the impact on illegal immigration will continue to grow. There are stretches along that border where only the toughest and most determined outdoorsman could survive for any significant period of time. A few people will make it across, but for the most part Mother Nature does the job for us.

As soon as these new sections are complete, you can expect the President to show up at at least one of them for a photo op. And perhaps he should. Of course, somebody on CNN will come up with a reason to say the wall segments “aren’t new” or don’t count or something. But if the barrier system prevents easy crossings, who cares? Let them talk. We just need a secure border.