Trump administration rapidly constructs $46 billion 'smart wall' on US-Mexico border amid historically low crossing numbers

The Trump administration is rapidly constructing a $46 billion 'smart wall' along the U.S.-Mexico border, combining 30-foot-tall steel fencing with advanced AI surveillance. Backed by a massive congressional funding infusion, Customs and Border Protection is building six miles of wall weekly, even as border crossings hit their lowest levels in decades. While officials argue the technology maximizes agent efficiency, critics and local residents raise concerns over privacy, environmental damage, and a lack of spending oversight.

Smart wall construction

• ▪U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not plan to build physical barriers along 535 miles of the border due to rugged terrain
• ▪As of mid-June 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has built 74 miles of border wall since Donald Trump returned to office
• ▪The Trump administration is building a "smart wall" combining 30-foot-tall steel fencing with surveillance technology along the U.S.-Mexico border
• ▪Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that a preliminary part of the border wall will be finished by July 2027
• ▪U.S. Customs and Border Protection is constructing the border wall at a rate of 6 miles per week

Border surveillance technology

• ▪U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying 95 additional autonomous surveillance towers that use artificial intelligence to detect and analyze movement
• ▪U.S. Customs and Border Protection is deploying 12- to 15-foot-long cylinder-shaped buoys along Texas river borders to deter crossings
• ▪Sintela holds a contract with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to install underground fiberoptic cables that use artificial intelligence to sense movement

Congressional funding allocation

• ▪A federal spending bill passed in summer 2025 requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to purchase only autonomous surveillance towers
• ▪Congress provided a $46 billion funding infusion for immigration enforcement to complete the U.S.-Mexico border wall
• ▪The nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense has criticized the Trump administration for a lack of oversight on border wall spending

Border crossing trends

• ▪U.S.-Mexico border crossings have reached their lowest levels in decades
• ▪Border crossing numbers tapered off before Donald Trump took office and subsequently slowed to a trickle due to his immigration crackdown