Smugglers breached Trump's border wall over 3,000 times, records say

WASHINGTON (TND) — Government maintenance records reportedly reveal the border wall built and championed by former President Donald Trump has been breached more than 3,000 times by smugglers.

The "big, beautiful wall", as Trump called it, spans nearly 500 miles of the United States/Mexico border.

According to the Washington Post, which obtained the government maintenance records, most smugglers were able to breach the wall using common power tools anyone could find at any hardware store.

No structure is impenetrable, so we will continue to work to focus resources on modern, effective border management measures to improve safety and security," Luis Miranda, a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told WaPo.

The Guardian reports the wall is built using posts with cemented concrete bases and "lintels" on top. Lintels are horizontal supports used in construction.

Smugglers are reportedly easily able to saw through the posts and swing them open and shut. They will then continue using the created entryway until Border Control discovers it and fixes it. Then they will just create another opening.

The Guardian reports some smugglers have sawn large enough entryways that SUVs and other vehicles could pass through.

Trump promised the wall would be "virtually impenetrable" and also promised Mexico would foot the bill for the wall's construction.

In the end, the wall cost American taxpayers a reported $11 billion, and as The Guardian reports, smugglers are able to bypass it with $100 power tools.

The American government has reportedly spent $2.6 million in taxpayer money repairing the border wall.

The Guardian reports government entities cite lack of infrastructure and personnel as impediments to keeping it intact.