Amid clouds of dust, border wall prototypes are demolished

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The government is demolishing eight prototypes of 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 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.

Public access to the prototypes was blocked from the San Diego side, turning an impoverished Tijuana neighborhood into a popular spot for journalists, demonstrators and curious observers. Artists displayed light shows on the walls with messages such as "Refugees Welcome Here" next to an image of the Statue of Liberty.

People climbed piles of trash against a short border fence that has since been replaced to get a clear view from Mexico. Some asylum-seekers hoisted their children over the fence in front of construction crews to turn themselves in to agents.