How many miles of planned border wall remain unbuilt and where are they concentrated?
Executive summary
Available federal sources and reporting show roughly 702 miles of “primary” and 76 miles of “secondary” barrier existed before Jan. 20, 2025; since then, administrations have planned, funded, waived regulations for, or started construction on additional stretches (CBP’s Smart Wall mapping and DHS releases track planned versus completed miles) [1]. Public statements and reporting list new planned or initiated projects in 2025 that together total dozens to low hundreds of miles depending on which program is counted — examples include “more than 80 miles” of new projects CBP initiated since Jan. 20, 2025 [2] and a DHS plan described in reporting to build 230 miles at $4.5 billion [3] — but sources do not provide a single authoritative “miles remaining unbuilt” figure for the entire 1,954‑mile border [1] [2] [3].
1. What federal data actually records: existing versus planned
The CBP “Smart Wall Map” is the agency’s working inventory: it reports the pre‑Jan. 20, 2025 baseline as about ~702 miles of Primary Wall and ~76 miles of Secondary Wall and separately flags miles that are “planned,” “under construction,” or “completed” since Jan. 20, 2025; the map is updated weekly and is the only source in the dataset that purports to break total barrier mileage into those categories [1].
2. Multiple program tallies — why “miles remaining” is not a single number
Different actors publish overlapping but not identical tallies. CBP’s internal mapping shows planned miles but does not in these extracts sum a single national “miles remaining” to reach any stated goal [1]. The Trump White House and DHS spokespeople have cited project totals — for example, claiming 83 miles of traditional wall and 17 miles of waterborne barriers “either under construction or in planning” in one statement [4] — while PolitiFact notes CBP initiated “more than 80 miles” of new permanent barrier projects since Jan. 20, 2025 [2]. Advocacy and watchdog groups cite larger program targets (see item 5) and state/local programs (Texas) keep their own counts [5]. The result: multiple partial tallies, no single reconciled national “remaining” figure in the provided sources [1] [4] [2] [5].
3. Where new planning and construction are concentrated
All sources point to concentration in familiar Southwest sectors: San Diego/California, Yuma and Tucson/Arizona, El Paso/West Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley/Lower Rio Grande Valley sectors; CBP and DHS actions in 2025 specifically advanced projects in San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso and Rio Grande Valley [1] [2]. DHS waivers issued in 2025 specifically enabled roughly 36 miles of expedited construction in Arizona and New Mexico (listing small projects in the El Paso sector) [6]. State efforts in Texas also report dozens of miles completed and additional easements or planned miles concentrated in Cameron, Starr, Zapata, Webb, Maverick and Val Verde counties [5].
4. Bigger program goals and political claims change the denominator
Reporting and analysis show competing target lines. Some officials and outlets describe a goal of roughly 1,400 miles of uninterrupted barrier (a long‑standing political target cited in reporting) while DHS and White House statements describe incremental projects and funding that amount to hundreds of miles more — for example a DHS plan reported as 230 miles at $4.5 billion — but the sources do not reconcile those goals with a precise “remaining” number after counting existing barriers [3] [7].
5. Environmental waivers and local programs accelerate some stretches
DHS announced and CBP published waivers in 2025 intended to speed construction — including a waiver for California in April and new waivers covering ~36 miles in Arizona and New Mexico in June 2025 — which change how quickly “planned” miles move to “under construction” or “completed” on the CBP map [6] [8]. Texas’s state program also reports completed miles and the capacity to build additional miles with state/donated funds, showing state actors are separately advancing construction in specific counties [5].
6. Where sources disagree or leave gaps
Sources diverge in scope and framing: CBP’s interactive Smart Wall map is the operational inventory but the extracts here do not give a single “miles remaining” total [1]. Political statements and press releases (White House, DHS) cite project counts that overlap but differ by category and definition [4] [2]. Independent reporting and NGOs emphasize environmental and wildlife impacts while noting construction totals unevenly [9]. Available sources do not mention a single reconciled national tally of “miles of planned border wall that remain unbuilt” across all programs and definitions; that number must be produced by aggregating the CBP Smart Wall planned category plus any separate state or local programs and then subtracting completed miles as of a particular date [1] [5].
Bottom line: authoritative federal tracking exists (the CBP Smart Wall Map) and shows pre‑2025 baseline miles and then flags planned/under‑construction segments, but the provided sources do not include one consolidated, up‑to‑date “miles remaining unbuilt” for the entire border — instead they document dozens to a few hundred miles of new planned projects concentrated in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas and border sectors like San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley [1] [2] [6] [5] [3].