Strong winds knock over portion of border wall into Mexico

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Strong winds Wednesday knocked over a portion of the border wall into Mexico, leaving pieces of the 30-foot tall wall leaning against a row of trees.

Trees propped up some panels of the 130-foot long portion of wall recently set in a concrete foundation that had not finished curing and fell after 37 mph winds blew through the area, CNN reported.

"We are grateful there was no property damage or injuries," Carlos Pitones, with Customs and Border Patrol, told CNN.

Traffic was diverted from the area, a congested part of Mexicali, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. U.S. border officials are working with the Mexican government to clean up and continue construction.

The section was being constructed as a new section of wall, a signature campaign promise of President Donald Trump, KYMA reported. The section is part of a larger 11-mile replacement project, the Union-Tribune reported.

Trump has pushed for construction of 450 miles of new wall along the border of the United States and Mexico. The administration touted its 100-mile mark earlier this month, but the majority of that is enhancing or replacing existing barriers, CNN reported.

"We remain confident that we're on track for 450 miles that are either completed or under construction by the end of 2020," acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told CNN earlier this month.

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