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Trump administration’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ races ahead on the US-Mexico border

CBP is adding autonomous towers, sensors and roads as it uses the new funding to build hundreds more miles of barrier.

  • President Donald Trump's administration is building a $46 billion "smart wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border, combining 30-foot steel fencing with sophisticated surveillance technology including sensors, cameras, and towers.
  • Customs and Border Protection is shifting toward an intelligence-driven operation after Congress approved massive funding to deter migration across the roughly 2,000-mile border following Trump's return to office last year.
  • As of mid-June 2026, CBP has erected 74 miles of barriers and is deploying 95 additional autonomous towers, while utilizing 15-foot cylinder-shaped buoys along the Rio Grande to prevent crossings.
  • Residents like Nayda Alvarez report surveillance towers appearing on private land, while the Electronic Frontier Foundation warns the technology creates a "hostile environment" infringing on privacy rights.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin expects preliminary construction to finish by next year, though watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense demands more "robust evaluation" of costs and effectiveness.
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Associated Press NewsAssociated Press News
+21 Reposted by 21 other sources
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Trump administration’s $46 billion 'smart wall' races ahead on the US-Mexico border

The United States is rapidly building what it calls a “smart wall” on the Mexico border, combining tall steel fencing with advanced technology like sensors and cameras.

·New York, United States
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  • 48% of the sources lean Left
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The Independent broke the news in London, United Kingdom on Thursday, July 2, 2026.
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