WASHINGTON 鈥� A sidewalk near the White House is closed to the public permanently as of Wednesday night.
The Secret Service announced Wednesday that the sidewalk along the south fence of the White House has been closed permanently at 11 p.m. Wednesday.
Since 2015, the sidewalk and park land between the south fence and E Street Northwest, between West Executive Avenue and East Executive Avenue, has been closed between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily.
Wednesday night鈥檚 closure, however, is permanent.
鈥淭his restriction is part of the ongoing comprehensive review of temporary and permanent security measures at the complex,鈥� the Secret Service said in a statement.
Secret Service Communications Director Cathy Milhoan told 海角精品黑料 that the move wasn鈥檛 in response to any specific incident, but 鈥渨e continually evaluate our security protocols while still balancing the security of our protected persons and facilities with the public鈥檚 ability to access them.鈥�
Last month, a man jumped the White House fence and spent 17 minutes on the grounds while President Donald Trump was inside. He looked through White House windows and managed to 鈥渞attle the door handle鈥� before he was caught, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told The Associated Press. They reported last week that two Secret Service agents on duty that night have been told they will be fired.
Milhoan said that people who wanted to see or photograph the iconic view of the White House from the south would still be able to get it 鈥� just about 25 yards back, across E Street by the Ellipse.
鈥淭hat vantage point 鈥� is still there,鈥� Milhoan said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a few feet further back.鈥�
The plan, Milhoan said, was to create 鈥渟pace between the fence and people.鈥� When people stood right up to the fence, 鈥渋t limited our ability to identify and respond to potential hazards.鈥�
鈥淩estricting public access to the fence line will not only serve to lessen the possibility of individuals illegally accessing the White House grounds,鈥� said Milhoan, 鈥渂ut will also create a clear visual break to enable Secret Service officers to identify and respond to potential hazards, including individuals attempting to scale the fence,鈥� said Milhoan.
The new restriction won鈥檛 require building any new physical barriers, Milhoan said. The existing barriers simply won鈥檛 be opened in the daytime hours.
A higher fence around the White House was approved earlier this year, Milhoan said; the project will go out to bid later this year, and construction is slated to begin next year.
鈥淲e always try to balance the public鈥檚 right to 鈥� access to our protectees and our facilities, and we work very hard to balance that challenge with the challenge of securing an 18-acre complex,鈥� Milhoan said.
On the map below, the upper arc represents the old fence line; the lower arc represents the new boundary for the public.
海角精品黑料’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report.
