The border between the United States and Mexico totals 1,989 miles. Currently, border walls of different types of fences span about 670 miles, which cost over $2.4 billion to construct. The construction was approved and funded through the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Most of this fence was built between 2006 and 2009, but Congress failed to allocate additional funding.
Facts You Should Know
- Construction costs to expand the current border wall to cover the entire border with Mexico is estimated to be $25 billion.
- Every year, no fewer than 350 million people cross our border with Mexico—legally! There are 35 border cities, with 45 crossing points and 330 ports of entry, not to mention that more than 12 million people reside along the border.
- The number of unauthorized Mexican immigrants living in the United States has decreased by 12.5% since 2009.
- In 2015, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reportedly had 273 Remote Video Surveillance Systems with day and night cameras deployed on the Southwest Border. In addition, the agency relies on nearly 12,000 underground sensors 40 Mobile Surveillance Systems and 178 mobile video surveillance systems which are truck-mounted infrared cameras and radar.
- CBP also currently operates over 100 aircraft and 8 Predator B unmanned aerial drones providing surveillance coverage of the Southwest border across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas along with 84 marine vessels.
More Information on building a border wall…
Pew Research Center: 5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S.
Today News: How necessary is it to build a wall across the Mexican border?
US Government Accountability Office: Secure Border Initiative Fence Construction Costs
