President Donald Trump is signing an executive order on Wednesday as the first step in fulfilling a central campaign promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border, CNN reports.
However, despite this initial move, details remain vague surrounding fundamental aspects of the project, such as how much it will cost, how it will be paid for, and when construction will begin — not to mention addressing the need for such a barrier in the first place.
When asked about the wall, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the administration was consulting with agency heads and Congress to move the project forward but did not give further details.
A major component of Trump's promise during the campaign was that Mexico would pay for the wall, although the Mexican government always adamantly rejected this.
After winning the election, Trump said he planned to start building the wall immediately and would use U.S. government funds so as not to delay the project but would force Mexico to pay back the costs.
The border with Mexico is nearly 2,000 miles long, and there is already a fence along about 700 miles of it, with the rest being either impassable due to natural obstacles, nearly impossible to build on or open, The Telegraph reports.
Trump is expected to rely on the 2006 Secure Fence Act to build the wall without congressional approval.
Gil Kerlikowske, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection under former President Barack Obama, told CNN there were many natural and logistical problems to building a wall and that it was, in any case, not the most effective way to keep illegals from entering the U.S.
He said that in addition to the high cost of building a wall, it would be extremely expensive to maintain and monitor, with a sharp increase in the number of agents needed as well.
The Business Standard also pointed out that as many as half of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. legally entered the country and then overstayed their visas, so even the most impenetrable wall would not reduce those numbers.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.