The Department of Homeland Security announced its plans to build a 15-mile prototype of the border wall in San Diego.The department issued a waiver from numerous environmental laws and regulations to build the wall with  robust physical characteristics  to prevent illegal immigration crossings in an area of  high illegal entry. The Department is implementing President Trump s Executive Order 13767, Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements, and continues to take steps to immediately plan, design, and construct a physical wall along the southern border, using appropriate materials and technology to most effectively achieve complete operational control of the southern border,  the department said in a statement Tuesday announcing plans to issue the waiver.In one of his last moves as DHS secretary, Gen. John Kelly signed the notice on July 26, before he was tapped to serve as White House chief of staff.The waiver was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.The notice outlines the plans for projects along a 15-mile stretch along the Southwestern border in the San Diego sector. The department said the area is in need of further border protection immediately, as it is the site of over 31,000 illegal alien apprehensions, the seizure of 9,167 pounds of marijuana, and approximately 1,317 pounds of cocaine last year alone. The construction of border wall prototypes in the Project Area and the robust physical characteristics that are to be incorporated into the border wall prototypes are intended to deter illegal crossings,  the notice states.The department will waive several environmental regulations to build the prototype wall, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and a host of others.DHS said it is still committed to safeguarding the environment but is eliminating onerous rules that would delay construction.For entire story: Washington Free Beacon