Department of Homeland Security report is said to list out a range of difficulties and warn the project could take more than three years

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

President Donald Trump’s proposed US-Mexico border wall would be a series of fences and walls that would cost as much as $21.6bn, and take more than three years to build, according to a US Department of Homeland Security internal report seen by Reuters on Thursday.



The estimated price-tag is much higher than a $12bn figure cited by Trump in his campaign and estimates as high as $15bn from Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.

The report is expected to be presented to John Kelly, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in coming days, although the administration will not necessarily take the actions it recommends.

The plan lays out in three phases what it would take to seal the border of just over 1,250 miles (2,000km) by the end of 2020.

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With 654 miles (1,046 km) of the border already fortified, the new construction would extend almost the length of the entire border.

Many cost estimates and timelines have been floated since Trump campaigned on the promise of building a wall. The report seen by Reuters is the work of a group commissioned by Kelly as a final step before moving forward with requesting US taxpayer funds from Congress and getting started on construction.

A DHS spokeswoman said the department does “not comment on or confirm the potential existence of pre-decisional, deliberative documents”.

A White House spokeswoman said it would be “premature” to comment on a report that has not officially been presented to the president.

The report said the first phase would be the smallest, targeting sections covering 26 miles (42km) near San Diego, California; El Paso, Texas; and in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley.

The report assumes DHS would get funding from Congress by April or May, giving the department sufficient time to secure contractors and begin construction by September. Trump has said Congress should fund the wall upfront, but that Mexico would reimburse US taxpayers. Mexico has said it will not pay.

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Several US congressional delegations are visiting the border this month to assess funding needs, according to several people familiar with the travel plans.

The report shows the US government has begun seeking waivers to address environmental laws on building in some areas. It also shows the government has begun working with existing contractors and planning steel purchases for the project. Trump told law enforcement officials on Wednesday, “The wall is getting designed right now.”

The report accounted for the time and cost of acquiring private land, one reason for its steep price increase compared with estimates from Trump and members of Congress.

Bernstein Research, an investment research group that tracks material costs, has said that uncertainties around the project could drive its cost up to as much as $25bn.

The second phase of construction proposed in the report would cover 151 miles (242km) of border in and around the Rio Grande Valley; Laredo, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Texas and Big Bend, Texas. The third phase would cover an unspecified 1,080 miles (1,728km), essentially sealing off the entire border.

The report lays out costs to cover the border with barriers, but funding constraints and legal battles are likely to place limits on those plans.



It also does not account for major physical barriers, such as mountains, in areas where it would not be feasible to build.

A source familiar with the plans said DHS might have to go to court to seek eminent domain in order to acquire some of the private land needed to cover the final and most ambitious phase.

The first phase, estimated to cost only $360m, could be a relatively easy way for Trump to satisfy supporters eager to see him make good on his campaign promises to limit illegal immigration. But the rest of the construction will be markedly more expensive, covering a much larger stretch of land, much of it privately owned or inaccessible by road.

In addition to seeking eminent domain and environmental waivers, the US government would also have to meet the requirements of the International Boundary and Water Commission, a US-Mexico pact over shared waters. The report estimated that agreement alone could raise the cost from $11m per mile to $15m per mile in one area.



