The point isn't necessarily to cut money laundering down to zero, it's to add significant cost and effort so it makes the cartels job harder. Every international border isn't airtight either and causes a bunch of hassle for travelers, but we don't throw up our hands and give up the idea of border control.
"... administration has ended the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocol, a policy that forced asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico as they await their court hearings, and has halted construction on a wall ..."
This is confusing. According to that article twenty miles will be built because present administration is unable to stop it.
"... building up to 20 miles of border wall because he has to. The administration said that it was bound to build this section of new wall because Congress already appropriated the funding to do so in 2019. It had been unsuccessful in convincing Congress to rescind the funding, Mr. Mayorkas said."
Seems other parts will not be built, and materials were sold off already.
