Trump Administration Plans 1,400 Miles of Border Barriers by End of Term, Using Eminent Domain and Law Waivers

President Donald Trump is accelerating efforts to finish barriers along the US-Mexico border by the end of his administration, Cnn reported. Federal officials project that around 1,400 miles of the 1,954-mile border will be covered with barriers, including roughly 775 miles of new primary wall by the end of 2027 and several hundred miles of secondary and waterborne barriers by the end of 2028.

When Trump took office last year, there were around 644 miles of primary wall and 75 miles of secondary wall.

Since then the administration has added roughly 80 miles of new primary wall and 24 miles of new secondary wall, according to CBP. CBP is planning to construct an additional 695 miles of primary wall and 608 miles of secondary wall, with approximately 535 miles of the border covered by technology.

The Department of Justice has filed 39 land condemnation cases in Trump’s second term, primarily through the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

The department is actively working with landowners in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The Department of Homeland Security has waived certain laws to expedite construction. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said this month that border wall construction is “ahead of schedule and below budget,” citing previous appropriations and the president’s “big beautiful bill” that allocated $46.5 billion.

Scott stated at a Center for Immigration Studies event that the primary border wall will be done by the end of 2027, with construction occurring only where needed and avoiding remote rough terrain. The city of Laredo, which shares roughly 14 miles with the Mexico border, has been in discussions with federal officials since last October when the administration sought to acquire city land.