Trump ramps up border-wall construction ahead of 2020 vote

The president’s barrier is one of the largest federal infrastructure projects in the nation’s history. Here’s what his administration has built so far and where it plans to build next.

By Nick Miroff and Adrian Blanco Feb. 6, 2020

The southern U.S. border has about 650 miles of barriers that take a variety of forms. In more-urban areas, tall “pedestrian” fences are in place to stop people from crossing. In remote areas, the government uses “vehicle barriers” made from old railroad tracks. In mountainous areas and long stretches that follow the Rio Grande, there is no man-made structure.

Fence type:

Pedestrian

Vehicle

No barrier

CALIF.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

Tucson

El Centro

El Paso

San Diego

Yuma

Pacific

Ocean

Gulf of

Mexico

Laredo

McAllen

MEXICO

250 MILES

The Washington Post has obtained detailed U.S. government data about Trump’s border-wall project, its construction progress and contracts for each segment of the structure. The data shows the Trump administration is far from delivering on the president’s promise to finish more than 500 miles of new barriers by early next year. Though Trump had insisted Mexico would pay for the project, it has been funded entirely by the U.S. government, at costs that reach nearly $30 million per mile in southern Texas.

[Smugglers are sawing through new sections of Trump’s border wall]

The Trump administration is installing a structure far more formidable than anything previously in place along the border. The new structure has steel bollards, anchored in concrete, that reach 18 to 30 feet in height and will have lighting, cameras, sensors and improved roads to allow U.S. agents to respond quickly along an expanded “enforcement zone.”

Government contractors erect a 30-foot-high section of new Pentagon-funded border wall along the Colorado River in September in Yuma, Ariz. (Matt York/AP)

The San Diego sector of the border wall in April 2018. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

Vehicle barriers across a riverbed along the border in early January near Hereford, Ariz. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)

Nearly all of the new fencing the Trump administration has built so far is considered “replacement” fencing, swapping out smaller, older vehicle barriers for a more elaborate — and costly — “border wall system.”

The administration has been slower to build new barriers where none currently exist, primarily because those spans require the acquisition of private land. Even with the slated construction goals, most of the southern border will not have a man-made barrier.

PRE-CONSTRUCTION STATUS OF THE SOUTHERN BORDER

Existing barrier

No barrier

654 miles

1,300 miles

Vehicle

barrier

to be converted

Barrier to

be replaced

Barrier

to remain

Non-priority area

Mostly mountains

Priority area

for new construction

864 miles

221 miles

133 miles

300 miles

436 miles

U.S.-Mexico border, 1,954 miles

Trump has promised to build at least 500 miles of new fencing by early next year, and his administration has completed about 110 miles so far. To meet the president’s targets, crews will need to add about 30 linear miles of barrier per month throughout 2020, more than double the current pace of construction.

Administration goal by the end of 2020

450 miles of new or converted barrier

Overall goal (targeted for Aug. 2021)

509 miles of new or converted barrier

Complete, 110 miles

Under construction, 192 miles

U.S.-Mexico border, 1,954 miles

Data as of Jan. 23

Border-wall status reports obtained by The Post detail how much new construction the administration expects each month to finish 509 miles of new barrier by August 2021.

With the pace of construction lagging behind Trump’s targets, Department of Homeland Security officials have tried to lower expectations, saying they will have 450 miles completed or “under construction” by the end of the year.

EXPECTED VS. ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS

Administration goal:

509 miles of barrier

500

miles

The construction of 450 miles

is expected by the end of 2020

400

300

200

138 miles expected

110 miles completed

as of Jan. 23

100

0

2019

2020

2021

Aug. 2021

Data as of Jan. 23

The Trump administration faces legal and physical challenges to hit its construction targets in Texas, where the Rio Grande forms a natural barrier along hundreds of miles of border.

Unlike in western states, where much of the land already is under government control, there are hundreds of riverfront farms, ranches and other properties in private hands in Texas. Some lack clear ownership records; others are held by multiple heirs. The government plans to make aggressive use of its eminent-domain powers to acquire them, but the process is slow and requires potentially lengthy legal actions.

In many cases, people are unwilling to hand their land over to the government or allow its use for the construction of border barriers, in part because it could split plots and restrict land use, block river access, affect scenic views or reduce land values. Some have vowed to fight.

CONSTRUCTION ON PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE LAND

24% built

7% built

302 miles planned for federal land

208 miles planned for private land

U.S.-Mexico border, 1,954 miles

Data as of Nov. 14

Budget and spending

The White House is planning to divert an additional $7.2 billion from this year’s military budget, bringing the total amount of money available for the project to $18.4 billion, enough to complete nearly 900 miles of new barriers by 2022. Of that, just $5.1 billion has been authorized by lawmakers. The rest is coming from Defense Department funding, primarily through the Pentagon’s counternarcotics accounts and military construction budgets.

Legal challenges to Trump’s authority to spend money that Congress originally authorized for other purposes have at times temporarily blocked this White House tactic, but courts have sided with the administration.

SOURCES OF FUNDING

Each  represents $1 million
Department of Homeland Security
Routine appropiation
$5.1 billion
Defense Department
National emergency funding
$3.6 billion
$3.7 billion planned additional funding
Defense Department
Routine appropiation
$2.5 billion
$3.5 billion planned additional funding
Data as of Jan. 23.

The private contractors who are receiving this money to build the structure comprise a range of large conglomerates and smaller companies. Most have tried to maintain a low profile, but the CEO of one firm, North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, has pursued an aggressive campaign to promote his company through lobbying efforts and appearances on Fox News.

Trump personally urged military officials to hire Fisher, and the company recently won a $400 million contract. Several lawmakers raised concerns about the bidding process, and the contract is now under review by the Pentagon’s inspector general.

FUND ALLOCATIONS TO PRIVATE CONTRACTORS

Each  represents $1 million
SWVC (Kiewit)
$1.77 billion
SLSCO
$1.52 billion
BFBC
$700 million
Southern Border Constructors
$516 million
Fisher Sand and Gravel
$400 million
Barnard Construction
$322 million
Caddell Construction
$297 million
SWF Constructors
$25 million
West Point Contractors
$25 million
Data as of Nov. 14.

Explore the contracts

Explore the billions of dollars in contracts that the federal government has issued for wall construction as of Nov. 14, including completed wall sections, those under construction and those that are considered “pre-construction.”

Fence

No barrier

CALIF.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

El Paso

El Centro

Tucson

San Diego

Yuma

Pacific

Ocean

Gulf of

Mexico

Laredo

McAllen

MEXICO

Construction area

250 MILES

Sort by:

  

Filter by:

   
 
COMPLETE
El Centro, Calif.
Due by Oct. 13, 2018
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: SWF Constructors

Total miles: 2
Miles built: 2
Progress: 100%
$25 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $12.5 million per mile.
 
COMPLETE
Santa Teresa, N.M.
Due by March 18, 2019
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: Barnard Construction

Total miles: 20
Miles built: 20
Progress: 100%
$79 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $4.0 million per mile.
 
COMPLETE
San Diego, Calif.
Due by Sep. 25, 2019
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 14
Miles built: 14
Progress: 100%
$153 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $10.9 million per mile.
 
COMPLETE
El Paso, Tex.
Due by Nov. 30, 2019
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: West Point Contractors

Total miles: 4
Miles built: 4
Progress: 100%
$25 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $6.3 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by Feb. 6, 2020
Construction type: Levee wall
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 8
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0.08%
$194 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $24.3 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by May 18, 2020
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Kiewit Infrastructure West

Total miles: 3
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$50 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $16.7 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
San Diego Secondary, Calif.
Due by June 3, 2020
Construction type: Secondary fence
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 14
Miles built: 10.7
Progress: 76.33%
$132 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $9.4 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Yuma, Ariz.
Due by June 7, 2020
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: Barnard Construction

Total miles: 22
Miles built: 25.3
Progress: 97.47%
$243 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $11.0 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by Aug. 12, 2020
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Southwest Valley Constructors (Kiewit)

Total miles: 4
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$84 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $21.0 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by Oct. 15, 2020
Construction type: Levee wall
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 5
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$165 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $33.0 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
El Centro, Calif.
Due by Oct. 15, 2020
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 11
Miles built: 4.5
Progress: 29.96%
$140 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $12.7 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by Nov. 7, 2020
Construction type: Non-levee wall
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 14
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$178 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $12.7 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by Nov. 17, 2020
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Southwest Valley Constructors (Kiewit)

Total miles: 11
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$345 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $31.4 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
El Paso, Tex.
Due by Jan 5, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: SLSCO

Total miles: 46
Miles built: 2.5
Progress: 5.4%
$739 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $16.1 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
El Centro, Calif.
Due by Nov. 1, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: BFBC

Total miles: 15
Miles built: 2.9
Progress: 19.1%
$319 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $21.3 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Yuma, Ariz.
Due by Nov. 11, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: BFBC

Total miles: 10
Miles built: 0.8
Progress: 16.7%
$121 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $12.1 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Tucson, Ariz.
Due by Feb. 2, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: Southwest Valley Constructors (Kiewit)

Total miles: 38
Miles built: 0.7
Progress: 1.9%
$789 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $20.8 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Tucson, Ariz.
Due by Feb. 2, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: Southwest Valley Constructors (Kiewit)

Total miles: 5
Miles built: 0.8
Progress: 16.9%
$102 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $20.4 million per mile.
 
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Tucson, Ariz.
Due by April 2, 2021
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: Southwest Valley Constructors (Kiewit)

Total miles: 20
Miles built: 0.2
Progress: 1.2%
$408 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $20.4 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by March 10, 2021
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Southern Border Constructors

Total miles: 21
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$258 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $12.3 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by March 10, 2021
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Southern Border Constructors

Total miles: 22
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$258 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $11.7 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by March 10, 2021
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: Caddell Construction

Total miles: 22
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$297 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $13.5 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Rio Grande Valley, Tex.
Due by March 10, 2021
Construction type: New
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 2
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$40 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $20.0 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Yuma, Ariz.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New secondary
Land ownership: Defense Dept.
Contractor: BFBC

Total miles: 31
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$260 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $8.4 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Yuma, Ariz.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 27
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$636 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $23.6 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
El Paso, Tex.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: Replacement
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 30
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$492 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $16.4 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
San Diego, Calif.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New primary
Land ownership: Interior Dept.
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 4
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$72 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $18.0 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Yuma, Tex.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New primary
Land ownership: Interior Dept.
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 6
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$70 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $11.7 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
El Paso, Tex.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New primary
Land ownership: Federal
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 8
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$170 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $21.3 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
San Diego, Calif.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New secondary
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 11
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$62 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $5.6 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
El Centro, Calif.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New secondary
Land ownership: DHS
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 5
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$25 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $5.0 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
Laredo, Tex.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New primary
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 52
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$1.3 billion has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $24.5 million per mile.
 
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
El Centro, Calif.
Due by No date yet
Construction type: New secondary
Land ownership: Private
Contractor: To be determined

Total miles: 9
Miles built: 0
Progress: 0%
$294 million has been allocated to build this section of the wall at a cost of $32.7 million per mile.

Nick Miroff

Nick Miroff covers immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for The Washington Post. He was a Post foreign correspondent in Latin America from 2010 to 2017, and has been a staff writer since 2006.

Adrian Blanco

Adrián Blanco Ramos is a graphic reporter in the graphics department at The Washington Post. He previously worked at Spanish newspaper El Confidencial focusing on data visualization, data analysis and investigative journalism. He participated in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalist’s Paradise Papers investigation.

Josh Dawsey, Danielle Rindler and Chris Alcantara contributed to this report.

About this story

Data from The Washington Post reporting and U.S. government documentation about the border barriers obtained by The Washington Post.