Mexico–United States border wall

The Mexico–United States border wall is a series of disjoined physical barriers built along portions of the Mexico–United States border. The barriers were constructed in a piecemeal manner over the course of several presidential administrations in an attempt to reduce illegal immigration to the United States from Mexico.

Between the physical barriers, security is provided by a "virtual fence" of sensors, cameras, and other surveillance equipment used to dispatch United States Border Patrol agents to suspected migrant crossings. In May 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had 649 miles (1,044 km) of barriers in place. A total of 438 miles (705 km) of new primary barriers were built during Donald Trump's first presidency, dubbed the "Trump wall", though Trump had repeatedly promised a "giant wall" spanning the entire border. The national border's length is 1,954 miles (3,145 km), of which 1,255 miles (2,020 km) is the Rio Grande and 699 miles (1,125 km) is on land.

On July 28, 2022, the Biden administration announced it would fill four wide gaps in Arizona near Yuma, an area with some of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings. In October 2023, Biden announced that he was restarting wall construction on some parts of the border due to the surge of migrant crossings, constructing an additional 20 miles of border wall. On January 20, 2025, re-elected President Donald Trump pledged to finish the wall during his second term.

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