Speaking recently, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan revealed that approximately 256 miles of new barriers at the US-Mexico border have been contracted and funded, which he said will be built at a rate of half a mile per day.
“The army corps of engineers has the responsibility to build the barrier,” explained Shanahan. “We now have on contract, sufficient funds to build about 256 miles of barrier.”
Every day, another 1/2 mile of the Wall is built to protect our communities from gang members, deadly drugs, dangerous criminals and evil human traffickers. It is getting done! #SecureTheBorder pic.twitter.com/cZKHGDmSkH
— Official Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 9, 2019
So @ActingSecDef just told Congress that 256 new miles of Trump’s Wall is now funded to be built, at the rate of half a mile every day. He said that we will see about “63 additional new miles of wall” constructed six months from now. #thewall
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) May 9, 2019
Shanahan went on to explain that, within the next six months, around 63 miles of new barrier should be completed.
According to Shanahan, DHS funding from 2017 and 2018, along with Treasury Department forfeitures and other funding will be used to complete the barrier construction.