Which U.S. states and counties have sections of the Trump-era border wall and where are they geographically located?

1. Where the Trump‑era wall has active contracts and construction — named counties and states

The first contract of President Trump’s second term was awarded to build roughly seven miles of new wall in Hidalgo County, Texas, within the Rio Grande Valley Sector ^[1]. CBP also announced a contract to build approximately 27 miles of wall in Santa Cruz County, Arizona ^{[2] [3]}. DHS issued waivers in early June 2025 allowing 36 miles of wall to be built across Arizona and New Mexico, enabling additional construction there ^[2].

2. Broader geographic footprint the administration cites — states targeted for more work

Federal releases and reporting make clear the Trump administration is targeting multiple border states beyond those specific county contracts: the administration and DHS/CBP communications list Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California as locations for new construction and “Smart Wall” projects funded or planned by recent contracts and legislation ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

3. Where on the border those counties sit — quick geographic context

Hidalgo County lies in deep South Texas along the Rio Grande in the Rio Grande Valley sector, an area long emphasized by federal and state border efforts ^[1]. Santa Cruz County sits along the Arizona–Sonora line in southern Arizona; reporting and environmental groups describe projects in the San Rafael Valley and Sky Island region of southern Arizona near the Sonoran borderlands ^{[3] [2]}. DHS waivers covering 36 miles span parts of Arizona and New Mexico where terrain and environmental laws had previously limited construction ^[2].

4. Funding, scale and timelines that shape where walls go

Congressional funding and presidential initiatives have reshaped where construction can proceed: the One Big Beautiful Bill and related appropriations and waivers have unlocked billions for wall projects, with CBP and DHS announcing multiple contracts and plans to add hundreds of miles of barriers and technology across the borderlands — specifically noting more than 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of technology tied to $4.5 billion in contracts ^{[4] [5]}. CBP’s early 2025 contract awards used remaining FY2021 funds and new appropriations to restart projects ^{[2] [1]}.

5. Local and environmental flashpoints that reveal why locations matter

Construction in southern Arizona — for example, the San Rafael Valley and Sky Island region — has provoked environmental opposition because those corridors are important to wildlife and ecosystems; advocacy groups documented early construction there and have sued over waivers of endangered‑species and environmental laws ^[3]. Texas localities such as Laredo and wider Rio Grande Valley communities are politically engaged as federal projects and state actions intersect, demonstrating that county selection is both strategic and politically sensitive ^{[7] [8]}.

6. Competing narratives: administration goals vs. watchdogs and local officials

The administration frames projects as restoring “operational control” and a multiyear push to finish the wall, citing drops in crossings and new security programs like Operation River Wall and smart‑barrier technology ^{[1] [6] [5]}. Opponents and environmental groups emphasize ecological harm, legal challenges, and local opposition where construction is proposed or underway ^{[3] [8]}. Reporting shows both that contracts have been awarded and that controversies over transparency, waivers and impacts are central to where the work proceeds ^{[1] [8]}.

7. What the current sources do not say

Available sources do not provide a comprehensive, mile‑by‑mile map of every county with completed wall segments as of this reporting window; they instead note specific contracts (Hidalgo County, Santa Cruz County), broader mileages allowed by waivers (36 miles across Arizona and New Mexico), and planned projects across multiple states ^{[1] [2] [4]}. Available sources do not enumerate every county in Texas or California where state or federal walls already exist or where state programs may have placed barriers since 2021 ^{[8] [4]}.

Limitations: reporting is fragmented across federal releases, advocacy groups and press accounts; precise, up‑to‑date county lists and construction‑status maps require CBP’s public project maps or local reporting beyond the materials provided here ^{[2] [1] [3]}.