Some observers — including conservative former Justice Department official John Yoo in an op-ed for The Times — point to the 1982 Military Construction Codification Act, which states that when a national emergency “requires use of the armed forces,” the Defense Department “may undertake military construction projects ... not otherwise authorized by law that are necessary to support such use of the armed forces.” That strains credulity. The military doesn’t need a wall to perform its work on the border, which isn’t being overrun by enemy soldiers or even by migrant civilians, who are crossing in numbers far lower than in 2000. Instead, the system is being overwhelmed by the number of families seeking asylum.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 02, 2019 11:03 UTC