Which sections of the border wall remain unfinished or have been removed and why?
Executive summary
Coverage shows the U.S.–Mexico border barrier is neither continuous nor static: roughly 702 miles of “primary” barrier existed prior to Jan. 20, 2025, with many gaps, new state- and federal-funded projects underway, and targeted removals or openings visible in places like Jacumba and parts of Sonora–Arizona [1] [2]. Reporting and official releases also document active construction and legal tools—state programs, federal waivers and large federal appropriations—being used to build new segments while other stretches remain unbuilt, blocked by landowner disputes, terrain or policy choices [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. Not a single continuous “wall”: where gaps remain
The border barrier covers parts of the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.–Mexico boundary but is discontinuous; large stretches have no physical barrier and are instead monitored by sensors or left open because of terrain or policy, which CBP characterizes as about ~535 miles of border without barrier to be covered by detection technology [2] [1]. Photographic reporting shows abrupt endings of fencing and “open doors” in places such as Jacumba, Calif., and gaps near Mexicali and in the Altar desert—visible evidence that many locations remain unarmored [2].
2. Which sections are unfinished — and why: land, funding and politics
Multiple sources show unfinished or fragmented sections result from a mix of factors: funding limits or shifting federal priorities that left prior administrations short of the nearly 2,000 miles once promised, state-level projects only covering select segments, and legal obstacles like reluctance to use eminent domain in Texas that slow acquisition of land necessary to complete routes [6] [3] [4]. Texas’ state program, for example, had built dozens of isolated segments—only about 50–66 miles completed at different times—because easement agreements, parcel negotiations and policy choices constrained contiguous construction [3] [4].
3. Where barriers were removed or “opened” — reporting and context
Visual reporting documents places where fences end suddenly or present openings that function as de facto removals [2]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive federal inventory of deliberate removals, but photographic and local accounts highlight specific locations where the barrier stops, creating gaps people point to as “removed” or never constructed [2]. If you are asking about government-ordered takedowns, available sources do not mention a large, coordinated federal removal program.
4. New construction and “restarts” that change the map
Since 2024–2025, both federal and state actors have announced new building efforts. CBP’s Smart Wall map documents planned, under-construction and completed projects post–Jan. 20, 2025, while federal actions have initiated more than 80 miles of new permanent barrier projects across San Diego, Yuma, Tucson, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley sectors, according to policy trackers and federal statements [1] [7]. Texas’ separate program also continued to acquire easements and build short segments, and new contracts and purchases aim to add additional miles [3] [8].
5. Legal and environmental tools used to expedite work
The Department of Homeland Security has been using waiver authority under Section 102 of IIRIRA to bypass environmental laws and speed construction; recent waivers covered about 36 miles in Arizona and New Mexico and at least one waiver was published for California, enabling quicker work in sensitive landscapes [5]. Reporting from KJZZ on San Rafael Valley shows waivers and large contracts being used to build in previously unwalled wildlife corridors, demonstrating how legal tools are changing which stretches get built first [9].
6. Local resistance, ecological concerns and litigation risks
Where new construction is active or planned—San Rafael Valley, parts of Texas—environmental groups, landowners and local officials have pushed back, citing impacts on wildlife corridors and private property; reporting predicts sharply reduced animal crossings in some places if new walls are completed [9] [4]. Those disputes have been a practical reason many segments remain unbuilt or fragmented, and they also create litigation risk that can delay or alter projects [9] [4].
7. Policy choices shape “unfinished” more than a single technical problem
In sum, the map of unfinished or removed sections is the outcome of competing decisions: federal vs. state priorities, land-acquisition limits (especially where eminent domain is restricted), funding allocations and the use of waivers to speed selected stretches. Congressional actions and new appropriations increase the pace and scale of construction in some areas, but they do not erase the patchwork nature of the barrier or the reasons many stretches remain open [10] [6] [11].
Limitations: reporting is photographic and project-driven rather than a single, definitive list of every unfinished or removed segment; federal CBP maps and local journalism together document gaps and active construction but do not catalog every discontinuity or a formal list of “removed” sections [1] [2].