Secret Service closing White House sidewalk access along South Fence
The Secret Service will begin permanently restricting access to the sidewalk on the South Fence of the White House beginning at 11 p.m. on April 19.
In a statement, the Secret Service said the restriction is part of an “ongoing comprehensive review of temporary and permanent security measures at the White House complex.”
The restricted area will include the sidewalks, roadways and parkland areas between the south fence line of the White House and E Street, NW, from West Executive Avenue to East Executive Avenue.
The Secret Service said in the statement that this new restriction will not obstruct or hinder the public’s ability to view or photograph the White House and its grounds. Sidewalk access has been 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. since 2015.
North fence access has been restricted since 2015, when an intruder jumped the north fence.
The restriction comes after a high-profile incident when an intruder breached security and wandered around the White House grounds for 16 minutes before being arrested. Jonathan Tran, 26, told authorities after being arrested that he had gotten close to the doors and windows of the White House after breaching security.
Tran told police he was a friend of the president and they had an appointment. It’s still unclear how he was able to get so close to the White House after jumping the fence and why he was wandering the grounds.
Last week, CBS News’ Andres Triay confirmed that two uniform division officers were fired in relation to the March 10 incident.