The United States expects to complete President Donald Trump’s long-promised southern border wall by late 2027, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott said on Tuesday.
Scott made the remarks at a Center for Immigration Studies event in Washington.
He said the barrier along the US-Mexico border is being built with reinforced metal beams and is planned to run from San Diego to the Gulf of Mexico. However, he noted that certain sections will be excluded where authorities believe a wall is not necessary.
“The primary border wall will be done by the end of 2027,” Scott said.
“There are a couple of gaps,” he added. “The only places we are not building a border wall are areas where we have made a conscious decision that we do not need it. Big Bend National Park, for example — a very remote area with very high cliffs.”
Scott said the wall will be supported by electronic surveillance systems and other technology, which are expected to be installed by around July, or at the latest August 2028.
He added that the long stretch of the Rio Grande along the Texas border, which runs more than 1,200 miles (1,900 km), will also include physical barriers as part of the wider system.
“We will have the entire system, including a secondary barrier in places where we need it — the water barrier and the Rio Grande River — and the technology,” he said.
The wall is intended to reduce illegal immigration and narcotics trafficking from Mexico, which officials say has declined based on current indicators.
However, Scott said the physical barrier alone will not be enough to stop illegal activity.
He noted that tunnels, drones and other methods are already being used to evade border patrols and transport drugs.
“We see drones flying along the Rio Grande River watching and videoing where our agents are. That is their business model, and drones definitely make it easier,” he said. “They are also smuggling narcotics across using drones.”
