How much of the border wall was built up here?



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And even if he gets all the money he wants from Congress this year, the wall will not be nearly finished.

Contractors replaced miles of dilapidated fences with more modern alternatives, but they never built barriers where they did not exist.

It could change soon. Construction is expected to begin in February as part of a project that will bring 14 kilometers of new border wall to the Rio Grande Valley.

Meanwhile, Trump and Congress are stuck in a stalemate over financing the construction of additional walls. Officials claim that the $ 5.7 billion requested by the administration would cover the cost of more than 200 miles of new wall and replacement wall.

But that would still leave most of the border without a wall.

Here is a preview of what is already at the border, the planned construction and what the Trump administration wants to build:

Artificial barriers cover only about one-third of the border.

The US-Mexico border is expanding for 1,954 miles. Currently, physical barriers cover 654 of those miles, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

What is it called vehicle fences covers 280 miles. This is a fence that is flush with the ground. It would stop a car, but people can easily cross it.

What is it called pedestrian fences covers 374 miles. It's bigger and designed to prevent people from crossing on foot.

Some fences are made from helicopter landing mats.

Several pedestrian fences have been designed at different points of the border.

Some areas contain layers of barriers, called primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary fences. According to CBP, approximately 37 miles from the border currently have secondary barriers for pedestrians.

Most older fences are made from landing pads of helicopters from the era of the Vietnam War. The most recent fences usually consist of 18 to 30 feet high steel posts.

A construction team is working to replace an old section of the US-Mexico border fence on January 11, 2019, seen from Tijuana, Mexico.

Trump now says that his "big and beautiful wall" can be steel.

Yes, the president has talked a lot about building a concrete wall on the country trail. But officials said for a moment that concrete was not the only option. When calling for tenders for prototype design in March 2017, the goal was to make the wall "physically imposing".
In recent weeks, the President has expressed greater interest in a steel slatted fence. We do not know exactly what that means. some pointed out that this was very similar to the steel fence that is already in place in some places along the border – which, according to experts, has long been the best option.

Prototypes of walls have disappeared.

As you may remember, the construction companies built eight prototypes of border walls, four designed for 30-foot concrete walls and four for other materials, which were then tested.
Some reports suggested that they were not doing as well in the tests conducted by crime experts, although the results were not made public.
Customs and border protection officials have avoided asking questions about what the tests revealed. But they said they were helpful in informing plans for the new fence and replacing the fence that is currently installed.

The idea of ​​border barriers has not started with Trump.

It is true that Trump placed the idea of ​​a border wall in the center of the campaign, but the idea of ​​building barriers along the US-Mexico border took root long before he took office.

The construction of the federally funded border fence, as we know it, began with a 14-kilometer stretch near San Diego. Construction began during George H.W. Bush's presidency and continued into Bill Clinton's first term. The Clandestine Immigration Reform and Immigration Act, which Clinton promulgated in 1996, allowed the fortification of this fence.
And the Secure Fence Act, pbaded under the administration of President George W. Bush, allowed the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing. This measure was adopted with the support of Sens at the time. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Since 2007, CBP claims to have spent approximately $ 2.3 billion on fencing and related infrastructure along the US-Mexico border.

Contractors are already working on hundreds of kilometers of construction.

A number of contracts have been awarded since Trump took office, funded by Congressional appropriations for the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

Among them: Nearly $ 300 million for the construction of 40 miles of alternative structures in several locations. These consist of pedestrian walls and vehicle barriers. By December 21, 35 of those 40 km had been completed, according to Andrew Meehan, CBP's Assistant Commissioner of Public Affairs.

Snapshots of the US-Mexico border

Last year's funding provided $ 1.375 billion in funding for the construction of 82 miles of new gates and replacement gates in several areas of the border, said Meehan. Of this amount, $ 700 million has been awarded for contracts for the construction of new alternative wall and wall systems, he said, and $ 300 million "are ready to be allocated as soon as the reopening of government". The rest of the money, said Meehan, "supports CBP project management to include support in real estate, environmental, legal and program management and will be obligated for the duration of the projects. ".

Soon we will see a wall built in a new section of the border.

Yes, that's the plan. Construction is expected to start in February on 14 new miles in the Rio Grande Valley.

Called lifting wall system, the project includes the construction of a raised concrete wall, 18 feet high steel posts installed above the concrete wall and the removal of vegetation. along a 150-foot security zone. The price: 312 million dollars.

The administration wants $ 5.7 billion to pay 234 miles of construction.

Officials say that construction starting in February is only part of the picture. The 2018 FY funding, they say, also covers the cost of building an additional 70 km of gates, of which about 57 km is a replacement fence.

And if the Trump administration's proposal for an additional $ 5.7 billion for a border wall is approved, officials say they will be able to build 234 miles of new and replacement gates, including about 100 miles will cover parts of the border that have not been. have a front barrier.

But since a government has been partially closing its government for five years now, it remains to be seen whether this work will take place – and what will happen next – nobody knows it.

CNN's Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.

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