New border wall constructed since January 2025
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Executive summary
Since January 20, 2025, federal agencies have resumed and expanded border-barrier activity: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report that more than 80 miles of new permanent barrier projects have been initiated and that multiple contracts and planning efforts are underway, with some short sections already under construction or completed [1] [2]. Funding, waivers, and an administration priority to build a so‑called “Smart Wall” — including a July 2025 appropriations line in the One Big Beautiful Bill — have accelerated work but drawn legal and environmental criticism, and several details (exact completed mileage at specific dates and the full list of contracts) vary across agency, state, and NGO sources [3] [4] [5].
1. New miles initiated and projects underway
CBP publicly states that “since January 20, 2025” it has initiated more than 80 miles of new permanent barrier projects across multiple Border Patrol sectors and that its Smart Wall map shows projects in planning, under construction, and completed since that date [1] [2]. Independent trackers and news outlets corroborate the resumption: reports cite the first second‑term contract for about seven miles in Hidalgo County, Texas, and a later 27‑mile award in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, while CBP’s interactive Smart Wall pages report completed and under‑construction segments [6] [1] [2].
2. Contracts, funding, and the “Smart Wall” push
Federal procurement has followed with a mix of leftover prior‑administration funds and new appropriations: CBP used some FY2021 funds to award early contracts and the administration later secured a large Smart Wall appropriation included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which CBP says earmarks tens of billions for Smart Wall construction and related technology through 2029 [6] [3]. By September 2025 the White House and DHS were publicizing dozens more miles in planning and an $4.5 billion tranche of contracts awarded by DHS to expand barrier construction, illustrating both stop‑gap and institutionalized funding streams [4] [7].
3. Where physical construction has been observed
Journalists and local officials report physical work restarting as early as January 2025, including a new secondary wall in New Mexico of roughly seven miles and restarted projects in El Paso and San Diego sectors; state sources in Texas document dozens of miles completed under state programs that preceded and then dovetailed with federal efforts [8] [9] [10] [11]. CBP’s Smart Wall Map explicitly maps completed mileage since 1/20/25 and differentiates pre‑2025 existing barriers from newly built segments, indicating active work across San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso and Rio Grande Valley sectors [2] [1].
4. Legal, environmental and transparency flashpoints
DHS has issued waivers to speed construction by bypassing certain environmental and regulatory reviews, prompting criticism about transparency and ecological impact from local advocates and conservation groups; reporting highlights concerns over fast‑tracked waivers and their effect on wildlife corridors and local oversight [1] [11] [12]. Advocacy groups and watchdogs frame the push as politically driven and note that the administration’s rapid funding and waiver strategy advances construction objectives while reducing typical review timelines [11] [12].
5. What is clear and what remains unsettled
Official CBP tallies and public contracts confirm that new permanent barrier projects were both initiated and in many cases physically built after January 20, 2025, with aggregate figures (more than 80 miles initiated; dozens of miles under contract or constructed) repeatedly cited by CBP, PolitiFact and media coverage [1] [2] [8]. However, precise, independently verified totals for “completed” mileage at specific snapshot dates differ among federal trackers, state reports and NGOs, and ongoing contract awards through late 2025 mean totals remain fluid; reporting limitations prevent an incontrovertible, single‑number summary beyond the ranges and examples cited by these sources [2] [10] [7].
6. Bottom line
New border wall construction did occur after January 2025: federal agencies initiated and funded more than 80 miles of new projects, awarded multiple contracts (including early 7‑mile and 27‑mile contracts), and have ongoing building activity mapped by CBP’s Smart Wall portal, while critics warn of compressed review processes and ecological harm around expedited sections [1] [6] [2] [11]. Sources disagree on exact completed mileage at any given moment and document political and programmatic priorities that explain why construction was restarted and accelerated; those caveats are essential for interpreting claims about the scope and permanence of the new barriers [3] [5].