Is Trump's Border Wall Being Built? Why There's A Catch To The 100 Miles Of Barriers Already Completed

The U.S.-Mexico border wall – one of President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promises – has completed 100 miles of construction. Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf on Friday confirmed the milestone.

“This is a milestone achievement for the President, the department and more importantly, for our country, including communities like Yuma [Arizona],” Wolf said. “One thing I want to emphasize is that every inch of the 100 miles that we have constructed is new border wall system. It's not so-called replacement wall, as some of our critics claimed. It is new wall.”

Despite Wolf’s claims, the vast majority of the 100 miles completed so far have been replacements for older and outdated border security structures. As of Dec. 6, 90 miles of the wall had been replacements for these defunct structures, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.

The Trump administration has set a goal to complete 450 miles of the wall by the end of 2020. As the 2020 presidential campaign proceeds, progress on the Trump border wall is expected to become a focal point once again.

According to a report from CNN, there has been a push within the White House to refer to the completed portions of the border wall as a “new wall,” to push back against criticisms.

Mark Morgan, the acting Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection, has said, however, that he has felt “no pressure from the administration to build more miles of wall.”

The U.S.-Mexico border is approximately 1,950 miles long. Construction is in progress in areas on the border that did not have older structures beforehand, including the Rio Grande Valley. Further criticisms have been leveled against that project for its negative environmental impact, with laws like the Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts being waived to allow for the wall’s continued progress.