Border wall, how much built and how much to go?
Executive summary
Official U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data say roughly 702 miles of primary barrier and 76 miles of secondary barrier existed prior to January 20, 2025, leaving about 535 miles of the Southwest border without physical barrier to be covered by detection technology [1]. Since 2025 multiple federal and state projects, new contracts and legislative funding — including reports of roughly 230 miles of planned “Smart Wall” under $4.5 billion in DHS contracts and a separate $46.5 billion congressional package — mean hundreds more miles are planned or under construction, but totals and definitions vary across sources [2] [3] [4].
1. What “built” means — miles, types, and counting disputes
Counting how much wall exists depends on what you include: pre‑2025 “primary” versus “secondary” barriers, new “Smart Wall” projects, state programs, and even waterborne barriers. CBP’s Smart Wall map reports ~702 miles of primary and ~76 miles of secondary barrier constructed before Jan. 20, 2025 [1]. The White House and DHS statements cite miles of traditional and waterborne barriers “either under construction or in planning” (83 and 17 miles respectively) using leftover funds from prior administrations [4]. Because sources mix completed, under‑construction and planned work and use different barrier definitions, simple arithmetic of “built vs. to go” is contested [1] [4].
2. Recent and near‑term additions: projects, contracts and state efforts
Multiple reporting threads show construction restarting in early 2025 and several large contract packages later in 2025. Engineering News‑Record documented restart of construction in California and Texas with projects anticipated to begin as early as March 2025, using funds and contracts from the 2018 appropriation [5]. Newsweek and WOLA report DHS awarded roughly $4.5 billion for projects expected to add about 230 miles of new Smart Wall barriers and extensive surveillance systems [2] [6]. Separately, Texas’ state program reported incremental mileage completed (e.g., 56.9 miles completed as of Feb. 20, 2025, rising in later updates) and plans for additional miles under state funding mechanisms [7].
3. Major funding and political drivers behind the push
Congressional appropriations and administration priorities have shifted the scale. The New York Times reported Congress approved $46.5 billion in legislation toward wall construction, which is cited as powering a ramp‑up in construction along the Rio Grande and elsewhere [3]. The White House framed the use of leftover federal funds plus new appropriations as a victory enabling quick movement on projects [4]. These fiscal inputs are central to why planning and construction intensified after January 2025 [3] [4].
4. Environmental, legal and local resistance that complicate “how much to go”
Multiple outlets document lawsuits, environmental concerns and local opposition that slow or alter plans. Reporting in regional outlets like KJZZ and national coverage note both legal challenges and ecological consequences — for example, research forecasting large drops in wildlife crossings in areas like the San Rafael Valley if walls are built there [8]. The existence of waivers for environmental reviews and ensuing litigation is explicitly raised as a factor affecting both pace and scope of construction [8].
5. How advocates and critics interpret the same numbers differently
Pro‑wall groups emphasize miles under construction/planned and newly awarded contracts to argue rapid progress [4] [2]. Conservation groups and affected communities focus on remaining gaps, damage to wildlife corridors and local opposition, noting that miles “built” in one era can differ in quality and effectiveness, and that terrain and detection technology will substitute for walls in many stretches [1] [8]. Independent fact‑checks note counting disputes over the Trump administration’s earlier claims and caution that “completion” rhetoric often masks definitional issues [9].
6. Bottom line: numbers exist but they don’t tell the whole story
CBP provides a baseline (≈702 miles primary, ≈76 miles secondary before 1/20/2025) and federal reporting plus contract announcements indicate hundreds more miles planned or funded [1] [2]. However, available sources show disagreement on what counts, ongoing state programs (e.g., Texas totals), legal and environmental constraints, and substantial planned surveillance investments in lieu of wall in some terrain — all of which mean a single precise “miles built vs. miles to go” figure is not reliably obtainable from the public documents cited here [7] [8] [1]. If you want a specific current total, the best contemporaneous sources are CBP’s Smart Wall map and the DHS/CBP project trackers cited above, which are updated as construction progresses [1].