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“2022 is not within Trump’s first term.”

I am looking at it from a Washington D.C. perspective. The Government’s job (getting the money, and awarding contracts) to build those 885 miles will be done this year. Contractors will require over a year to complete their construction.

The Army Corps of Engineers, who manage the contract administration for the Department of Homeland Security, also view it this way. LTG Semonite, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, habitually uses the term “in the Ground” to describe projects once they reach the phase of contract awarded and validated funding obligated against it.

Because contractors are carefully screened for capability ahead of time, and bonded for insurance against unforeseen problems, it is kind of a fait accompli.

During the Bush-era wall building program, every project in this status continued to completion under the Obama Administration. Obama put an immediate halt to new awards after his inauguration, but did not revoke previous awards. Revoking awards for the convenience of Government (which is what would be needed) entails forfeiting huge amounts of the money, and largely sacrificing the contract deliverables. It would also be politically challenging, and impossible to hide from the public.

On a bright note, segments of barrier have been carefully prioritized, so that the most important miles are being done first. The first 300-400 miles (border cities and the Rio Grande Valley) account for the great bulk of illegal immigration, and always have. Except perhaps for Laredo, Texas, this will be largely complete (Constructed) by the end of 2020.

San Diego, the largest urban area on the border, and traditionally the first or second most trafficked corridor, is scheduled for completion this month (Jan 20). Its an awesome double barrier system with a fully developed enforcement zone between them - cleared observation area, continuous all-weather, high speed road, grid-powered stadium lighting, full coverage with powerful cameras, and a suite of alarms and sensors - all monitored in a command post, with artificial intelligence software to cue operators. Big change.

Yuma, traditionally the third heaviest traveled corridor, is half done, and scheduled to complete construction this year.

The Rio Grande Valley (over 100 miles of heavily vegetated open border) is fully funded and contracted, with construction recently begun. It is scheduled to complete construction this year.

885 miles takes us far down the priority list,, deep into areas which currently experience minimal traffic, but terrain would allow them to serve as feasible alternate routes, as better routes are closed. It is only 100-200 miles short of the total barrier originally recommended in the Comprehensive Plan to Achieve Full Operational Control of the Southern Border, developed in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13767.

Paralleling the barrier rollout, is full scale deployment of technology programs (”Virtual Fence”), which is deploying faster than barrier, in mileage terms. Technology is planned for every mile of border, barrier or not. Technology may make enough of an operational difference in very rural areas to largely replace the marginal value of some of the last miles of barrier on the priority list.

So the bottom line I was getting at, is that with this additional $7.2 billion, enough money has been acquired, and enough time is available for contracting, to buy enough barrier and technology for an approximately complete border security Program.

$1.4 billion per year for barrier is built into the baseline budget through 2027 (thanks Paul Ryan), which is enough to add 50 to 100 miles per year. So that is kind of on auto-pilot.