When he was campaigning for president, Joe Biden pledged that “not another foot” of border wall would be built on his watch. But this week, his administration announced plans to do just that.

In a public notice posted Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security outlined its intent to build up to 20 new miles of Trump administration-era border barriers in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, one of the busiest crossing spots for migrants attempting to enter the U.S. 

The Biden administration has paved the way for the construction of a new wall along the southern border in Texas by waiving more than a dozen federal laws in a stark reversal of its previous stance on the physical barrier.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the plan to bypass long drawn-out environmental reviews in order to expedite border wall construction in Starr County, TX as the administration struggles to handle an ongoing migrant crisis that has strained local and federal resources.

The Biden administration will waive 26 laws to build additional border barriers in the Rio Grande Valley, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register Wednesday, citing “high illegal entry.”

Construction of the wall will be paid for using already appropriated funds earmarked specifically for physical border barriers. But the move comes at a time when a new surge of migrants is straining federal and local resources and placing heavy political pressure on the Biden administration to address a sprawling crisis.