The Trump Administration's $46 Billion 'Smart Wall' Border Project

The federal government is spending $46 billion to construct physical barriers and install high-tech surveillance equipment across the U.S.-Mexico border, which directly impacts the property rights and daily environment of residents living in border regions.

• •Congress allocated $46 billion for the construction of the 'smart wall' and immigration enforcement.
• •The project includes 30-foot-tall steel fencing and surveillance technology including sensors, cameras, and towers.
• •As of mid-June 2026, 74 miles of new wall have been erected under the current administration.
• •The agency is currently installing 6 miles of wall per week.
• •Approximately 535 miles of the 2,000-mile border will not have a physical wall due to rugged terrain; ground sensors and towers will be used instead.
• •CBP is deploying 95 additional autonomous surveillance towers as required by a recent congressional spending bill.
• •Surveillance technology includes fixed towers with video, infrared, and radar capabilities with an 8-mile range.
• •Autonomous towers use artificial intelligence to scan areas and alert agents to suspicious activity.
• •Underground fiberoptic cables are being installed to detect movement through vibrations.
• •CBP is deploying 12- to 15-foot-long cylinder-shaped buoys in Texas river stretches to deter crossings.
• •CBP has committed to not building 30-foot bollard walls in sensitive areas like state and national parks in the Big Bend region.
• •Previous 'virtual wall' projects were abandoned in 2011 due to budget overruns and technical failures.