FACT CHECK: Did Joe Biden Sign An Executive Order To Tear Down The US-Mexico Border Wall?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A post shared on Facebook claims President Joe Biden signed an executive order to tear down the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Verdict: False

Biden did sign an executive order regarding the U.S.-Mexico border wall, but it did not order that the barrier be torn down. The executive order halted construction and terminated a national emergency declaration.

Fact Check: 

Biden signed numerous executive orders and other presidential actions on his first day of office, according to The New York Times. Since then, some social media users have shared a post claiming that one of the executive orders included tearing down the U.S.-Mexico border wall, a major part of former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign platform.

While Biden did sign an executive order related to the border wall on Jan. 20, the order does not mandate that it be torn down. Instead, it terminates the national emergency declaration used by former President Donald Trump to divert funds toward its construction and directs workers to halt construction within a certain time period. The executive order does not mention tearing down the wall at any point.

“It shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall,” the order reads in part. “I am also directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to construct a southern border wall.”

In early December, the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration was planning to halt construction of the wall. Around 450 miles of Trump’s border wall were built or reconstructed before he left office, according to Bloomberg CityLab.

Ali Mayorkas, Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, said during his Jan. 19 Senate confirmation hearing that the Biden administration has not decided what to do with the sections of the border wall that have already been constructed. (RELATED: Trump Says His Border Wall Plan Has ‘Never Changed Or Evolved’)

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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