Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin promised Congress in June that the primary border wall would be complete by the end of next year, from the Pacific to the Gulf of America. He has repeated that commitment publicly since. But the numbers suggest the timeline is nearly impossible to hit.
About 698 miles of primary border wall remain unbuilt, according to Customs and Border Protection data. Construction has averaged roughly 2.6 miles per week through most of 2026. To meet Mullin's deadline, the pace would need to jump to more than 13 miles per week, a jump of five times the current rate.
DHS has completed only 10 percent of its planned primary wall so far. The agency still faces significant obstacles: ongoing construction lawsuits, negotiations with private landowners over property access, and the finalization of contracts and designs. These are the kinds of delays that plague big construction projects everywhere.
The fastest stretch CBP achieved was between June 5 and June 10, when crews built an additional 4 miles. If that pace held for a full year, the wall would grow by about 292 miles, leaving a substantial gap. CBP officials argue that acceleration is now possible since most major construction contracts have been awarded, mostly to two firms, and projects are moving beyond the design phase into actual building.
History offers a cautionary tale. During Trump's first term, only 30 miles of border barrier including secondary walls and water barriers were completed in a single year. Even as he takes office now with full Republican control of Congress, momentum has not matched rhetoric.
Environmental pushback has forced compromises. Like former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Mullin has waived environmental reviews to speed things up. But after fierce local opposition, CBP scaled back plans for the Big Bend region, removing hundreds of miles of wall from difficult terrain in and near state and national parks. That decision reduced the total mileage target but also eliminated some of the toughest construction work.
For private property owners who refuse to sell or grant access, the administration has taken an aggressive stance. DHS has filed at least two eminent domain lawsuits to seize land, according to the CBP spokesperson. Officials say they will refer any cases where voluntary acquisition fails within a reasonable timeframe to the Department of Justice. Multiple such cases were filed during the first Trump administration.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a recent statement that primary border wall construction is on track to be finished by the end of 2027, though he did not specify whether that represents a shift from Mullin's earlier one-year claim or simply restates the original goal. The agency emphasized its focus on areas with high historical rates of illegal entry.
Mullin framed the wall as essential to stopping all illegal border crossings. He acknowledged that some people still slip through the continuing gaps but characterized the number as extremely small. The secretary has made wall completion a signature priority for the administration.
Author James Rodriguez: "The arithmetic here is brutal, and no amount of contractor hustle changes it. Mullin is either overly optimistic or betting nobody will remember what he promised next year."
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