Senate Democrats are pressing the Department of Homeland Security on Friday to explain why the wall on the southern border is still being built during the coronavirus pandemic and amid strict national social distancing guidance.

In a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, five Democrats with jurisdiction over homeland security matters said the administration owes Congress an updated Border Security Improvement Plan and one that reflects the dangers of construction work during the coronavirus crisis. They say that "the rapid construction of the border wall while so many Americans are suffering is unnerving, and may be dangerous for workers and communities alike."


“The administration’s pursuit of border wall construction during a global pandemic puts workers and communities at risk, and possibly violates state and local public health guidance to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” the senators wrote in the letter, citing the danger of the virus to federal workers. "This is a real and evolving concern. Americans deserve to understand any potential impact a border wall might serve in fighting the coronavirus, if any.”