How much of the southern border remains without any barrier as of late 2025 according to CBP’s Smart Wall map?
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Executive summary
CBP’s Smart Wall map frames the Southwest border as a 1,954‑mile frontier and reports roughly 702 miles of existing primary barrier that predate January 20, 2025, plus about 75–76 miles of secondary barrier, leaving a large portion of the line without primary fencing as of late 2025 [1] [2]. Counting only primary wall, about 1,252 miles lack a primary barrier; counting any previously constructed barrier (primary or secondary) reduces that gap to roughly 1,177 miles, while planned and contracted Smart Wall projects would change those totals only as they are completed [1] [2] [3].
1. The baseline CBP numbers and what they mean
CBP’s Smart Wall map defines the Southwest border at 1,954 miles and explicitly lists “Existing Barrier (prior to 1/20/2025)” as approximately 702 miles of primary wall and roughly 75–76 miles of secondary wall, a starting point for any calculation of how much remains unbarred [1] [2]. The agency’s published figures treat primary and secondary barriers as distinct categories—primary being the main impedance—so whether a mile “has a barrier” depends on which category is counted, and CBP’s map and FAQ emphasize that the map shows existing, under construction, contracted and planned work separately [1] [4].
2. Straight arithmetic: miles without a primary barrier
Subtracting CBP’s reported 702 miles of primary barrier from the 1,954‑mile border yields about 1,252 miles that do not have a CBP‑defined primary wall as of the map’s baseline figures—this is the clearest, defensible answer when the question is read as “how much lacks a primary barrier” according to CBP’s map (1,954 − 702 = 1,252) [1].
3. Counting any pre‑existing barrier (primary or secondary)
If the metric is broader—“miles without any pre‑existing barrier (primary or secondary)”—then add CBP’s roughly 75–76 miles of secondary barrier to the total already walled and subtract from 1,954, yielding about 1,177 miles without either type of pre‑existing barrier (1,954 − (702 + 75–76) ≈ 1,177) [1] [2]. CBP’s public materials show those secondary miles as a separate line item rather than subsuming them into primary totals, so both calculations are supported by the agency’s data [1].
4. Planned and contracted Smart Wall miles don’t immediately change the “remaining” figure
CBP and DHS have publicized contracts and plans that will add hundreds of miles of Smart Wall and associated technology—CBP announced contracts that will add about 230 miles of barrier and nearly 400 miles of technology—but those are projected or under contract, not necessarily completed, and the interactive Smart Wall map distinguishes completed miles from under‑construction and planned segments [3] [1]. Therefore the “as of late 2025” answer hinges on what is already in the ground per CBP’s map rather than what is contracted or planned, and any future completed miles will reduce the unbarred total only as they are reported as completed on CBP’s status chart [1] [3].
5. Limitations, competing interpretations and why the map can be read different ways
CBP’s categories, the overlap between primary and secondary barriers in some sectors, and the map’s inclusion of waterborne barriers and system attributes (roads, sensors, lighting) mean different stakeholders can truthfully report different figures—advocates focusing on “miles without any barrier” will use the combined primary+secondary subtraction, while others emphasizing primary impedance will use the primary‑only subtraction; the Smart Wall FAQ and map make these distinctions explicit but do not produce a single one‑line “miles unbarred” number without choosing which barrier class is being counted [1] [4]. Reporters and officials have also emphasized contract awards and planned construction (230 miles added in the announced contracts), which can give the impression of more immediate coverage than the map’s completed‑miles baseline supports [3].