C & # 39; is 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 dilapidated fences with more modern alternatives, but they did not build obstacles. wherever they did not already exist.

It could soon change. Construction of a construction project for a new border wall in the Rio Grande Valley, scheduled to begin in February, is planned for February.

Meanwhile, Trump and Congress are stuck in a stalemate over the funding needed to build additional walls. According to officials, 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 an overview of what is already at the border, what construction works are planned and what the Trump Administration wants to build:

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

The US-Mexico border extends over 1 954 miles . At present, physical barriers cover 654 of these kilometers, according to the US Customs and Border Protection.

What is known as Vehicle Enclosure covers of 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 called pedestrian fencing covers a few 374 miles . It's bigger and designed to prevent people from crossing on foot.

Some barriers at the border are made from helicopter landing mats.

Several designs of pedestrian fences are in place 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 helicopter landing pads of the Vietnam War. The most recent fences generally consist of 18 to 30 foot 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, at Mexico. [19659019] A construction team is working to replace an old section of the barrier between the US-Mexico border on January 11, 2019, as seen from Tijuana, Mexico.

Trump now says that his "big and beautiful wall" can be made of steel. 19659021] Yes, the President has talked a lot about building a concrete wall on the countryside. But officials said for a moment that concrete was not the only option. When calling for tenders for prototypes, in March 2017, the goal was to make the wall "physically imposing".

In recent weeks, the president has shown 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 been abandoned. [19659021] As you may remember, the construction companies built eight prototypes of walls at the border – four designed to be 30-foot concrete walls, four made of other materials – which were then subjected to tests.

Some reports have suggested that they would not be. Do not do it well in the tests conducted by crime experts, although the results have not been made public.
Customs and border protection officials have avoided asking questions about the exact nature of the tests. 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 did not begin with Trump.

It is true that Trump has placed the idea of ​​a border wall at the center of the campaign since his first election campaign, but the idea of ​​the construction of the border fence funded by the federal government, such as as we know it, began with a stretch of 14 km located 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 security act, passed under President George W. Bush, authorized the construction of hundreds of kilometers 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 since Trump took office, contracts have been awarded, funded by Congressional appropriations for 2017 and 2018.

Of these: Nearly 300 million dollars 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

Credits opened last year provided $ 1.375 billion in funding for the construction of 82 thousand replacement barriers at several points across 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's 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 go there. to 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 wall lift system, the project includes the construction of a reinforced concrete wall, 18 feet high steel posts installed above the concrete wall and the removal vegetation along a 150-foot control area. The price: 312 million dollars.

The government wants $ 5.7 billion to pay 234 construction miles.

Authorities claim that construction starting in February is only part of the picture. The 2018 FY funding, they add, also covers the cost of building 70 km of additional obstacles, including about 57 km of replacement fencing.

And if the Trump administration's proposal for an additional $ 5.7 billion for a border wall is approved, officials said they would be able to build 234 miles of new gates and replacement barriers, of which about 100 km will cover parts of the border that had no barrier before.

the wall is already in its fifth week. We guess if this work will take place – and exactly what will happen next.

CNN's Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.

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