How many miles of new border barriers were constructed under the Trump vs Biden administrations through 2025?
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Executive summary
Available reporting shows wide disagreement about how many miles of “new” border barriers were built under President Trump’s first term (figures cited range from about 47–571 miles depending on definitions) and documents that since January 2025 the Trump administration initiated or contracted roughly 7–100+ miles of new construction early in his second term; Biden-era additions cited in sources total about 20–40 miles [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporters and government accounts differ because “new” can mean wholly new primary barrier, replacement of older fencing, secondary barriers, or planning/contracts versus completed construction [2] [5] [1].
1. Why the numbers diverge: definitions and counting matter
Different sources count different things: some tallies count only new primary wall where none existed before (a March 2021 review found about 47 miles of that kind), while other government statements and campaign reports add replacement barriers, secondary walls, vehicle barriers, and projects in planning to produce totals in the hundreds [1] [2] [5]. Fact-checkers note the Trump-era totals often cited (e.g., ~453–463 miles) include many replacement or secondary structures rather than exclusively new primary wall [2] [6].
2. Trump’s first term: multiple overlapping totals
Official DHS/CBP statements during Trump’s first term celebrated “nearly 400 miles” or projected 450 miles by late 2020; later reporting and audits revised those figures based on what was actually new versus replacement, producing widely used numbers such as about 453–458 miles of barrier work, with only a fraction — sometimes reported as about 47–52 miles — constituting entirely new primary barrier where none existed before [5] [2] [7] [6].
3. Biden-era construction through 2024: limited, targeted additions
Reporting credited the Biden administration with authorizing modest, targeted barrier additions, commonly cited as about 20 miles approved in the Rio Grande Valley in 2023 and another reported 40 miles announced November 2024 (26 miles in Texas and 14 miles across CA/AZ/NM), figures advanced by news outlets and conservation groups documenting wildlife impact [1] [4] [8]. Sources do not offer a comprehensive miles-built tally for Biden’s full 2021–2024 term beyond those project announcements; available sources do not mention a single, consolidated Biden-era total [4] [1].
4. Trump, second term (2025 onward): contracts, projects, and campaign claims
After January 2025 the Trump administration and CBP announced multiple new projects and contracts: CBP awarded contracts for small initial segments (e.g., roughly 7 miles in Hidalgo County and a 27-mile Arizona contract cited in March–June 2025) and public statements claimed initiation of “more than 80 miles” of projects and plans for 85 miles “this year,” while the White House and other outlets described about 83 miles of traditional wall plus 17 miles of waterborne barriers as under construction or planning [1] [3] [9] [10]. Independent tallies and later contract announcements vary, with some outlets citing figures like 79 miles already underway or plans for hundreds more funded by new appropriations [11] [9].
5. How to read official and campaign numbers: planning vs completed
Many cited totals conflate stages: planning, contract awards, waivers, and construction starts are treated as equivalent to completed barrier miles in political statements [3] [1]. PolitiFact and other trackers emphasize that “initiated” or “in the works” miles do not equal finished miles on the ground, and that replacement versus new construction is often unstated in proclamations [3] [2].
6. Bottom line for the original query through 2025
Available sources do not provide a single, undisputed tally comparing total miles of new border barriers constructed under Trump versus Biden through 2025. Reasonable synthesis from the cited reporting: Trump’s first term oversaw hundreds of miles of barrier projects (commonly cited government and media figures: ~400–463 total miles of barrier work, with only ~47–52 miles of wholly new primary barrier) and his second-term activity in 2025 initiated or contracted roughly 7–100+ miles (multiple project announcements and claims) while Biden-era additions reported in sources amount to roughly 20–40 miles of newly approved/announced barriers [5] [2] [1] [3] [4]. Exact comparative totals depend entirely on which categories you include (new primary barrier vs. replacements/secondary/vehicle barriers vs. planned vs. completed) and sources differ on those definitions [2] [1] [3].
Limitations and competing perspectives: my synthesis relies only on the provided reporting, which contains government claims, campaign figures, fact-checks, and conservationist tallies that do not agree on definitions; the discrepancy stems from differing counting rules and whether planning/contracts count as “constructed” [2] [3] [4]. For a definitive, audited construction-by-construction reconciliation you should consult the latest CBP/DHS construction completion reports and GAO audits; available sources do not include a single GAO-style reconciliation through 2025 (not found in current reporting).