border wall construction under the authority of President Trump’s
emergency declaration.
The estimated cost of the border wall cited most often is between
$15 and $25 billion, which is a considerably smaller price tag than the
$116 billion in taxpayer funds spent on illegal immigration in 2017.
Many countries maintain border walls or fences, including Israel,
the UK (Northern Ireland), Spain, Greece, Hungary, and India.
To learn more about President Trump’s other immigration priorities
and accomplishments, check out our Trump Administration
Immigration Accomplishments page and our Trump Tracker.
BARRIERS AND BORDER CONTROL
Recognizing the effectiveness of physical barriers as a means
of border control, Congress first mandated the construction of
a border fence in 1996 as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform
and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA). IIRIRA called for the
construction of a 14-mile, triple-layered fence along the boundary
between San Diego and Tijuana.
By 2004, only nine miles of fencing were completed. Congress
subsequently passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. That
legislation called for double-layered fencing along the border,
augmented by manpower and technology, and directed the
Secretary of Homeland security to construct “reinforced fencing
along not fewer than 700 miles of the southwest border, in
locations where fencing is deemed most practical and effective.”
How much of the required fencing was completed before Trump?
Currently, US Customs and Border Protection maintains several
types of “tactical infrastructure” (fencing, other physical barriers,
and support structures such as observation towers) along the
border. Chief among these are:
• Primary Pedestrian Fencing – that runs directly along the
border and is intended to prevent crossings on foot.
• Secondary Fencing – that runs behind Primary Fencing,
usually separated by a Patrol Road that allows the Border
Patrol to monitor the area between fences.
• Tertiary Pedestrian Fencing – that runs behind the Secondary
Fencing, intended to prevent attempts to cross the border on foot.
• Vehicle Fencing – that prohibits motorized vehicles from
crossing.
As of May 2015, DHS had installed:
• 353 miles of Primary Pedestrian Fencing
• 36 miles of Secondary Fencing
• 14 miles of Tertiary Pedestrian Fencing
• 300 miles of Vehicle Fencing
These numbers are virtually the same as the numbers available in
2012, indicating no measurable progress. But, given the growth
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