The Biden administration is quietly completing bits of Donald Trump’s wall

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden pledged he would build “not another foot” of border wall as president. But in the face of record numbers of migrants arriving at America’s southern border with Mexico, he has quietly reversed course, agreeing to fill in some glaring gaps that were left when he abruptly halted construction on his first day in office. Staying mum about the wall-work, Mr Biden has not wanted to telegraph the decision and risk alienating backers who associate the border wall with Donald Trump.

That has not stopped Mark Kelly, a Democratic senator running for re-election in Arizona, from crowing about the news. Mr Kelly says he deserves credit for “pushing the Biden administration to close barrier gaps” on Arizona’s border with Mexico and boasts of helping secure $1bn for border security. He has co-sponsored a bipartisan bill in the Senate to help recruit and retain more border-patrol agents and give them a pay rise.