About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

1 (November 5, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/fdusmxbd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 








   Congressional                                                                ____
          ~ Research Service
               nlforming the Iegislative debate since 1914





Funding U.S.-Mexico Border Barrier

Construction: Current Issues



November 5, 2019
The construction of barriers on the U.S-Mexico borders to control unauthorized crossings has been a
matter of significant debate since President Donald Trump made construction of a border wall a key
element of his campaign for the presidency. This Insight provides a brief overview of the funding history
for these barriers, and how the current administration is redirecting federal funds to support construction
of additional mileage.


Border Barriers Under Presidents George W. Bush and

Barack Obama

In the decade pnior to President Trump's election, Congress had appropriated almost $2.5 billion to U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to
construct more than 650 miles of primary barriers along the southwest border. This includes
approximately 350 miles of primary barriers designed to restrict the flow of pedestrians, and
approximately 300 miles of primary barriers to restrict the flow of vehicles in areas where unauthorized
border crossing on foot was less of a concern. Funding for construction of border barriers in this period
largely ended in FY2011.


Border Barriers Under President Trump

Shortly after his inauguration in January 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order that called for
the construction of a border wall. In March, the President submitted a supplemental appropriations request
for FY2017, which included almost $1 billion to begin planning and construction. (At the time, annual
appropriations requested for FY2017 by the Obama Administration had yet to be resolved by Congress.)
In response to this and subsequent requests from the Trump Administration totaling more than $8.27
billion through FY2019, Congress has provided almost $3.1 billion for border barrier construction
through DHS appropriations. Funding has been provided with conditions that the barriers are built in
certain border patrol sectors and meet certain design requirements. Most of this funding has been used to
replace or upgrade existing miles of primary border barriers. CBP indicated in a November 1, 2019, press
                                                             Congressional Research Service
                                                               https://crsreports.congress.gov
                                                                                  IN11193

CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most