EL PASO, Texas (KETK) – It was one of President Trump’s biggest promises on the campaign trail, a border wall that would stop immigrants from illegally crossing into the United States.

“It’s wasted money,” an undocumented immigrant living in northeast Texas says. “People will continue to cross. There are so many ways to cross.”

The immigrant we interviewed for this story chooses to keep his identity hidden for fear of deportation. He was detained and deported to Mexico not too long ago on his child’s birthday. He came back to Texas illegally just one week later.

“It was a bad experience. I walked for 28 hours under the rain and darkness. Thorns were cutting my flesh, but I continued to walk because it wasn’t the end of my story.”

He paid thousands of dollars to a human smuggler to help him across the Rio Grande where he was taken to a safe house. The President has vowed to put an end to illegal crossings. A new barrier is currently under construction in El Paso as part of the administration’s effort to curb the amount of immigrants illegally traveling into the United States.

“This wall that is going up is part of the current administration’s initiative to reinforce the infrastructure we have along the border,” Joe Romero, Supervisor Border Patrol Agent for public affairs says.

The current barrier in downtown El Paso is over 40 years old and is costing a lot to repair and maintain. Border Patrol officials say the new bollard-style wall will be superior and pay for itself over time. The current fencing is getting cut on a regular basis by immigrants trying to illegally cross into Texas.

“People are constantly cutting through the fence,” Romero says. “We have people who have to come here on a daily basis and weld the fence. It doesn’t take much to cut it.”

Construction is happening right now on the new 18-foot wall in El Paso. It is designed to give agents more time to respond to illegal crossings.

“Through this chain link fence you can have 20 to 30 people crossing at any given time just by cutting the holes into it. Instead of having an agent deal with multiple people in a situation where he is outnumbered, now he is dealing with two to three people at the most.”

The wall will have rebar going six feet deep in an attempt to prevent digging, but some are skeptical about the effectiveness of the new barrier.

“Where there is a will, there is a way so to speak,” Romero says. “Is this the answer to the issues along the border? Absolutely not. Is this one piece of it? Absolutely it is.”

The estimated cost for this four mile barrier comes in at $22 million. It is scheduled to be completed by April. The price tag for a wall on the entire southern border ranges from $12 to 25 billion depending on who you ask.

“[The President] is saying we need to build it before we get Mexico to pay for it,” Congressman Louie Gohmert of East Texas says. “One idea is to stack a percentage on top of money that is sent outside of the US.”

ICE in 2016 reported the average deportation cost at almost $11,000 per person. Congressman Gohmert believes this money would be saved if these illegal crossings are stopped. He also adds more boots and technology are needed down south.

“If it’s properly patrolled and we have proper sensors, we can stop them just like Israel does.”

As a migrant caravan continues to march right now towards the north, the President has ordered thousands of additional troops to the border. They will join National Guardsman who are already assisting Border Patrol down south.

“The national guard can help do a lot of supplementary work for us,” Romero says. “They keep our fleet running. They keep an eye on cameras for us. While they may not be out here patrolling the border because that’s our job, they assist us in getting more agents out into the field.”

As for the undocumented immigrant living in Northeast Texas, he does not regret coming into the country illegally in search of a better life.

“I worked at a tomato farm in Mexico and made 700 pesos per week,” the undocumented immigrant says. “That is worth 26 to 30 dollars right now per week.”

He wants to continue working and living a responsible, crime free life. to provide for his family.

“I would be grateful if the law changed. I would be grateful to be here legally and be at peace and do things correctly for my family.”

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in fiscal year 2018, which ended in September, there were a total of 521,090 apprehensions at the southwestern border. That is up from 415,517 in 2017.