Trump's border wall lurches closer to schedule (Status Update)

Axios ^ | Apr 16, 2026 | Brittany Gibson

[BeauBo]

The U.S. has built roughly 50 miles of primary border wall along the southern border, 5.5 miles of buoy barriers in the water and 13.2 miles of secondary barriers, Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott told Congress on Thursday (16 April 2026)...

...Scott told Congress the effort is now "ahead of schedule and we're below budget." (Planned to complete before the end of President Trump's current term - already fully funded)

By the numbers: The agency anticipated that it could build about 10 miles of wall per week (at peak pace), according to an interview with the Washington Examiner.

Scott's figures show progress closer to about 3.5 miles constructed per week since early-February. (Stephen Miller reported that the pace has since raised to a rate of 5 miles per week, and continues to accelerate as more contracts are awarded and more contractors start work)

---

TOPICS: Reference
KEYWORDS: border; borderwall; mexico; shovelready; shovelreadyproject; wall

[BeauBo]

Bottom Line: The complete infrastructure package for the Southern Border is ahead of schedule, under budget and fully funded; to complete before President Trump leaves office. You can see the official status of the Program at CBP's website: https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/along-us-borders/smart-wall-map

Here is a summary, as of today (10 May 2026):

The total program is to have 1,419 miles of Primary Smart Wall (Barrier with a suite of detection technology, 644 serviceable miles of that amount pre-exists), 708 miles of additional Secondary Wall (in more accessible areas with higher traffic, near roads or cities - 76 serviceable miles of which pre-exist) and 536 miles of Waterborne barrier (also covered by monitoring technology, none of which existed before this Administration). Every bit not walled off, will be covered by detection technology (multiple types).

Physical bollard barrier in the Big Bend National Park area in rural Texas, has been dropped from the plan, but they will have a suite of new infrastructure improvements, including complete detection technology.

The whole Program was funded up front in the Big Beautiful Bill. Most of it is now awarded on contract - 616 miles of new primary barrier (only 19 more miles to contract), another 78 miles has already been contracted to replace primary barrier that does not meet the specifications for Trump Wall (63 more such additional replacement miles are left to contract), 391 miles of new secondary barrier are now on contract (242 miles left to contract). All of the 536 miles of planned waterborne barrier has been placed on contract.

Contractors naturally have a time lag between receiving a contract and starting work, of several months (hiring/training crews, contracting for equipment and materials, establishing base camps), so the flood of new contracts is still working its way through the pipeline, into an increased rate of construction.

The total wall construction completed so far (10 May 2026) for this Program is about 85 miles of wall (new Primary, replacement Primary and Secondary) is 85 miles, and 10 miles of Waterborne barrier.

According to Stephen Miller, we are approaching, and will exceed, a mile of wall per day in the near future (June?)

[Sacajaweau]

Amazing...Too bad Biden had 4 years to let millions in...the Dems are just stupid and wrong.

[Dr. Sivana]

You notice how the Wall isn’t even an issue spoken of by the Democrats anymore? My guess is that they get creamed on it, so they have quietly decided not to fight it whenRepublicans are nominally in control.

[thinden]

wonderful news, BeauBo

thanx for the update

[ansel12]

Nothing beats a solid, impenetrable wall during Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign the estimate was about 7 billion in cost for a total border wall.

[thinden]

My guess is that they get creamed on it, so they have quietly decided not to fight it whenRepublicans are nominally in control.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

my guess is tat they got their 10-30 million immigrants in during the brandon regime & will just take it as “mission accomplished” and they’re moving into more election rigging with their “new arrivals”

[ansel12]

I’m glad the Border Patrol switched to our side.

Border Patrol union deleted 2012 webpage opposing border wall
“”01/11/2019 07:36 PM EST
A union that represents Border Patrol agents recently deleted a webpage that said building walls and fences along the border to stop illegal immigration would be “wasting taxpayer money.”
The deleted webpage, posted in 2012, argued that border barriers don’t tackle the root causes of migration — and could potentially encourage more migrants to enter the U.S. fraudulently or overstay visas.””
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/11/border-patrol-union-deleted-2012-webpage-opposing-walls-and-fences-1081250

[BeauBo]

Also, since Biden and the autopen left office, 11,000 Military personnel have been assigned to the border, along with the support of extensive Military surveillance resources.

National Defense Areas (NDAs), which are legally military installations, have been established along over 800 miles of the Mexican Border.

[BeauBo]

“during Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign the estimate was about 7 billion in cost for a total border wall.”

The Trump Wall is dramatically upgunned from that plan - more and better.

It is the full suite of the Border patrol’s wish list - Full Operational Control of the border.

[BeauBo]

“during Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign the estimate was about 7 billion in cost for a total border wall.”

The Trump Wall is dramatically upgunned from that plan - more and better.

It is the full suite of the Border patrol’s wish list - Full Operational Control of the border.

[ansel12]

The one proposed back then was very substantial and opposed, even by the BP union.

[little jeremiah]

THank you, excellent news. I’ve been wondering...

[SharpRightTurn]

This is a great report and very encouraging.

As soon as the Southern border wall is complete, I would like to see a similar wall along the Canadian border. With people like Carney in power, you could never trust the Canadians to try to prevent illegals from crossing into the US. They might even encourage it.

[little jeremiah]

Demsheviks are worse than stupid and wrong; they actively want to destroy US sovereignty, values, traditions, and history. They are EVIL.

[BeauBo]

“The one proposed back then (2012) was very substantial”

Still like comparing apples to oranges. This is not just a wall.

In the first Trump Administration, Congress required extensive design analysis that delayed funding for a long time. Lots of engineers studying it, prototype flyoffs and red teams attacking designs. The result is what they called “Border Wall System” (now called “Smart Wall).

It is a comprehensive package that addresses the “Border Wall Calculus” of how long different breaching methods require in different terrain, what is required to reliably detect them, and time required for effective response, vs. the “disappearing time” for breachers at any give location (minutes to get away in the city, some rural areas without roads require days).

They looked at tunnelling under, cutting, ramming or blasting through, and climbing or flying over. The resulting package includes newly designed super barrier, all weather access road, and multiple systems of sensors and monitors, all tied into AI monitoring assisting the watch officer in the command posts.

This design is to achieve full operational control, not just help.

[Justa]

The Dems fly them in now.

Their (American) leaders handout passports and passport cards in Doha, Qatar to hundreds of south Asians. They board the flight. Upon landing the smuggling leaders pull them aside in small groups and tell them how to get thru immigration. Saw this first hand Qatar Airways flight Q777 Doha to Miami on 10 May ‘26. An A350. About 95% of the flight was south Asians and non-English speaking Africans.

[ansel12]

Relax, no one is saying anything about these designs not being better and more advanced, but most people think this wall business is a newer idea than it really is.

[SuperLuminal]

That danged “map” page includes no map...
Just a lot of data...

[thinden]

“during Cruz’s 2012 Senate campaign the estimate was about 7 billion in cost for a total border wall.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Trump Wall is dramatically upgunned from that plan - more and better.

It is the full suite of the Border patrol’s wish list - Full Operational Control of the border.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

pennies on the dollar when compared to the cost of upkeep for the 20+ million illegal migrants brandon & mayorkis let in

[BeauBo]

“most people think this wall business is a newer idea than it really is”

The Secure Fence Act of 2006 (H.R. 6061) authorized and partially funded the construction of 700 miles of “fencing” along the Mexican border. (which included bollard barrier, as well as Normandy style vehicle barriers).

Other barrier building programs date back further - even some from WWII and earlier.