A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence is pictured in El Paso, Texas, Jan. 17, 2017.

The great wall on the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail took a big step closer to becoming reality when he signed two executive orders aimed at curbing illegal immigration on Jan. 25.

The executive actions include redirecting existing Homeland Security money to erect what the administration described as a "very large" wall on the southern border with Mexico.