There’s something really strange about that statistic graphic.
I’ve read a number of reports that there will be at least 300-350 miles of wall done by the end of the year.
This is the only challenge I’ve seen to those reports from various sources.
The year that has been widely talked about for the wall construction is next year (2020). They want to have over 400 miles done by the end of next year.
That is the important year for two reasons. First, because the election is near the end of the year, and it could be a big election issue. Secondly, if President Trump is not re-elected, that might be all that gets built - a new Leftist President might order a total halt.
Getting a lot of wall built requires the big money, that the President could only get through the emergency declaration, earlier this year. The contracting lead time is such that only about half of those billions is on contract so far (although the rest should be awarded relatively soon, like the next 1-3 months). Then there is about a year of construction on each contract.
The first big runs (45, 63 miles) just started building in September. About 100 miles is now on five contracts awarded in the critical Rio Grande Valley, but only the first two crews have started work yet. Late next year, we will have about a dozen crews working there.
We started 2019 building at a rate of two miles per month, and now we are running a bit faster than two miles a week. We are on track to ramp up to around a mile per day, over the next few months, as more and more crews are added, and more contracts are awarded.
2020 is going to be the big year for wall building.
The segments getting contracted have been carefully prioritized. Those first few hundred miles will shut the areas where the great majority of illegal traffic now flows. The total plan for full operational control of the border called for a total of 1,100 miles of barrier, but the last few hundred miles is to block marginal areas, that might serve as alternate routes in the future.
What has already been funded (509 miles) and about 200 more (Laredo, Del Rio and Eagle Pass), would be a pretty effective total barrier. All the urbanized areas would be walled off, and any crossings would require long travel in rural areas, that is highly detectable to the big technology programs (which are also rapidly rolling out, this year and next).
If the President can manage a few billion more in 2020, he can contract for roughly everything needed to fully control the border, although the construction would extend through 2021, and likely into 2022 to complete.