The US government is demolishing eight prototypes of US President Donald Trump’s prized border wall that instantly became powerful symbols of his presidency when they were built nine months after he took office.
The Trump administration says elements of the prototypes have been melded into current border fence designs and they have served their purpose.
The four concrete and four steel panels, spaced closely together steps from an existing barrier separating San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, were one of Trump’s top priorities, and he visited the location a year ago to see the installations firsthand.
For Mr Trump’s allies, the towering models were a show of his commitment to border security and fulfilling a core campaign promise. For detractors, they were monuments to wasted taxpayer dollars and a misguided display of aggression toward Mexico and immigrants seeking a new home in the United States.
Less than two hours after crews began today, seven of the barriers were destroyed.
A large hydraulic jackhammer attached to an excavator pounded the walls repeatedly as slabs fell into small clouds of dust. An owl flew out of a steel tube on top of one model just as the jackhammer started to knock it down. A panel made of steel poles was also dismantled.