Nearly 78 Miles of Border Barriers Built Since Trump Took Office: Noem

The second Trump administration has constructed nearly 78 miles of border barriers, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on May 6. Since President Donald Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20, the administration has erected 77.8 miles of fencing, Noem told lawmakers on the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. That includes steel bollard fencing in some areas, temporary fencing in others, and water buoys in still others. Contracts for an additional 40 miles of barrier have already been awarded. Steel is appropriate in certain border areas, but others may require buoys because of bodies of water such as the Rio Grande, Noem told the panel. In other areas, concertina wire is being put up. And officials are also installing more cameras to keep watch over areas where fencing may be impractical....