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The first prototypes for Trump's Mexican wall have been unveiled - and here are the pics

According to some estimates the wall could cost as much as $20 billion.

EIGHT PROTOTYPES OF US President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall were unveiled on Thursday at the Mexican border.

The concrete and steel structures, erected in a remote area in San Diego, will be tested for 30 to 60 days to determine which design meets the needs to secure the border, US Customs and Border Patrol Protection said in a statement.

“Border security contributes to our overall national security and relies on a combination of border infrastructure, technology, personnel, and partnerships,” the agency’s acting deputy commissioner Ron Vitiello said.

“Border walls have proven to be an extremely effective part of our multi-pronged security strategy to prevent the illegal migration of people and drugs over the years.”

Here are the eight ‘samples’.

Wall One: 

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Two:

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Three:

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Four:

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Five:

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Six:

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Seven:

Border Wall Gregory Bull / PA Images Gregory Bull / PA Images / PA Images

Wall Eight:

Border Wall Gregory Bull / PA Images Gregory Bull / PA Images / PA Images

Authorities said that in considering the mockups – built by six companies from across the United States – they will evaluate a number of characteristics including anti-breaching, anti-climbing and anti-digging capabilities.

The models were erected after Trump’s 25 January executive order that instructed the Department of Homeland Security to build a wall along the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico.

Trump, who argues that the wall will help stop illegal immigration, criminal gangs and drug trafficking, repeated the latter assertion in a speech on Thursday in which he declared the opioid crisis a “public health emergency”.

US Mexico Border Wall Prototypes Displayed John Gibbins / PA Images John Gibbins / PA Images / PA Images

“An astonishing 90% of the heroin in America comes from south of the border where we will be building a wall which will greatly help in this problem,” said Trump, who has yet to secure funding for his project.

According to some estimates, the wall could cost as much as $20 billion and Congress has so far been reluctant to dedicate funding for the barrier.

Mexico has also balked at Trump’s demands that it pay for the wall.

© AFP 2017

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    Mute Uncle Mort
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    May 26th 2013, 4:42 PM

    Will the home-grown ones be charged with treason?

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    Mute guardian
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    May 26th 2013, 4:47 PM

    Actually your dead right it is treason. No different if irish man for political beliefs kills garda or irish solider.

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    Mute John Michael
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    May 26th 2013, 6:43 PM

    Here we go again. It used to be a crime in England to be Irish. Now it’s a crime to be a Muslim. Where’s the evidence against these people? Knowing a criminal doesn’t make you one.

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    Mute ciaran clarke
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    May 26th 2013, 7:30 PM

    It does if you don’t report what their up too

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    Mute John Michael
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    May 26th 2013, 8:20 PM

    How quickly people forget.

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    Mute John Michael
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    May 26th 2013, 11:27 PM

    The judge in the Guilford Four case wondered why they had not been tried for treason so he could have “without doubt passed a sentence of death by hanging”. Attitudes seem to change when it’s happening to people you don’t like.

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    Mute Sarcaholik
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    May 26th 2013, 8:21 PM

    Should be interesting to see how long Cameron and Hague etc wait to arm their peers in Syria, now that Hezbollah have officially entered they fray?!?

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    Mute Uncle Mort
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    May 26th 2013, 8:36 PM

    Hizbullah, the contracts division of the Iranian Government

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    Mute Sarcaholik
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    May 26th 2013, 10:02 PM

    True but the best of a bad lot…..just ask the IDF and their affiliates!

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    Mute Stephen McMahon
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    May 27th 2013, 12:00 AM

    At least unlike Mossad they don’t carry out their dirty work using Irish passports. How soon we forget.

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