Trump Plans Additional 2,000km Border Wall at Cost of $66 Trillion

The United States is set to construct an additional 2,000 kilometers of border wall along its southern frontier with Mexico, a project estimated to cost around $66 trillion. This ambitious undertaking by the Trump administration aims to significantly extend the primary barrier, even as illegal border crossings have reportedly reached historic lows.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to erect new primary and secondary barriers spanning at least 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) across the southwestern border. This initiative is backed by a substantial $47 billion allocated through a law enacted in July last year, surpassing the total expenditure on border wall projects over the previous two decades. The plan prioritizes extending the first line of defense, typically a steel fence ranging from 5.5 to 9.1 meters high, across the border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

In challenging terrains, the plan includes deploying vehicle barriers, smart cameras, and sensors instead of traditional fencing. Additionally, large buoys will be installed in the Rio Grande River in southern Texas to deter migrants from crossing. Authorities aim to complete the primary barrier by the end of next year. However, critics question the allocation of vast financial resources for such a project amid a significant decline in illegal entries, as reported by The New York Times.

Despite the decrease in illegal crossings during the Biden administration, the Trump administration is pushing forward with the border wall construction as a signature initiative. Contracts worth over $33 billion have already been awarded for the project. The plan includes alternative measures for difficult areas, such as vehicle barriers and surveillance technology, alongside the physical wall.