The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Mark Wayne Mullin, anticipates that the primary border wall will be finished by next summer. However, a report from Axios dated June 21 has cast some doubts on this timeline.
Currently, DHS has completed about 10% of what was planned for the major border wall, leaving around 1,698 miles still to construct, as stated by a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson. In 2026, progress has seen roughly 4 miles of wall built each week, with an uptick of 4 miles reported between June 5 and June 10, marking the quickest increase. Interestingly, Mullin had initially estimated that the first phase of the border wall would be wrapped up by early June 2027.
A spokesperson from CBP indicated that approximately 114 miles of the main border wall have been completed since President Trump assumed office on January 20, 2025. If the current pace continues, that could translate to roughly 492 miles by the end, but, to align with Mullin’s expectations, the rate would need to ramp up to over 13 miles weekly.
During his testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee regarding the fiscal year 2027 budget on June 2, Mullin expressed optimism: “We’re on track to finish the first wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of America by this time next year. All contracts will be wrapped up by the end of this month. We’re really making good headway.”
The urgency surrounding the completion of the border wall has become more pronounced as deadlines approach. CBP has calculated the progress since Trump took the presidency, stating that as of January 20, 2025, about 644 miles of primary wall and 75 miles of secondary wall aligned with operational needs. By June 12, that number included about 74 miles of new primary wall and 22 miles of secondary wall, totaling around 718 miles of effective barriers.
CBP is looking to build around 700 more miles of the primary wall and about 610 miles of the secondary wall. These figures could slightly shift as more construction contracts are finalized. Additionally, around 535 miles of detection technology will be integrated into areas where the terrain naturally provides barriers. CBP had previously noted that approximately 40 kilometers of wall had been completed since January 20, 2025, and the agency aims to have 250 miles of new seawalls finished by September 30, 2026, suggesting a push to quicken construction.
In April 2026, CBP Director Rodney Scott noted that about 80 miles of primary border wall had been constructed, in addition to buoy barriers and secondary barriers, although work had stalled due to contractual disputes and local pushback.
Mullin emphasized the distinction between the primary and secondary barriers during testimony. He noted, “The primary wall is the first to go up, as the cartels coordinate their efforts. They’re cutting through the wall, and if we don’t push for the secondary wall, they can exploit those openings before we can respond.”
Moreover, Mullin spoke about the introduction of a smart wall to assist in monitoring, stating, “The smart wall is quite impressive; it enables us to deploy drones for oversight. If we can keep the current pace, we expect the secondary wall to be completed by summer 2028. Of course, weather might play a part in the timeline.”
The Daily Caller has also reached out to DHS for further insights.
