Acting Customs and Border Protection Chief Mark Morgan expressed uncertainty in regards to whether or not the Trump administration will be able to achieve its goal to build a wall along the southern border by the end of President Trump’s first term in office.
Trump’s demand for a wall separating the United States and Mexico was one of his earliest campaign promises, and yet as of last month, the administration has yet to build any part of the wall where there wasn’t fencing previously located. The president, while it’s unclear as to the final path for the wall, has promised to build 450 miles of it along the border by 2021.
“It’s hard right now to say whether we’re still going to meet that goal,” Morgan told the New York Times. “But I’m confident we’re going to be close.”
One aspect of building the wall that appears to have caused the administration some difficulties include an investigation into construction contracts, monetary delays, and a legal ruling blocking emergency access to Defense Department funds to build the wall. While those are situations that could derail the administration from meeting its goal, another controversial topic is private landowners who aren’t keen on giving up their land to the federal government. The administration has filed 48 lawsuits citing eminent domain laws — the right for the government to seize private land for compensation.
One hundred sixty-two miles of border wall is expected to run through southern Texas with more than 140 miles coming on private property, according to CBP. The administration has acquired only three miles of private territories dating back to 2017.
[Previous coverage: ‘This was not here two weeks ago’: Trump shows off new border wall construction]
