private holders—potentially setting up a situation in which the federal government uses eminent domain to seize property from unwitting American landholders. The GAO estimate for one difficult section of fencing near San Diego, for example, was $16 million. The total cost of the wall, Rosenblum has estimated, would cost between $15 and $25 billion with an annual maintenance cost of nearly $700 million.4 Immigration experts also say that because much of the property on the southern border is private, Trump would have to consider the additional cost of seizing the land to build his wall, something about which he 5 has failed to speak openly. Fence construction is intended to provide persistent impedance of illegal cross-border activity, which offers Border Patrol agents sufficient time to respond to and resolve threats. The physical stature of the fence affords agents additional cover, making physical assaults against them more difficult to carry out. CBP constructs border fence in locations based on a risk and vulnerabilities assessment of illicit cross- border activity. CBP has completed construction of 653 miles of fencing, as mandated by Congress in the Secure Fence Act of 2006, including 300 miles of Vehicle Fence and 353 miles of primary Pedestrian Fence along the Southwest border. In addition, there are approximately 36 miles of secondary Pedestrian Fence behind the primary fence and 14 miles of tertiary Pedestrian Fence behind the secondary fence. The total cost to build a fence—not a wall, which Mr. Trump is expecting to build—in place (652.6 miles) is approximately $2.3 billion. CBP was allocated approximately $49 million in Fiscal Year 2015 to maintain and repair fence and gates, roads and bridges, lights, and other TI. This total only includes Border Patrol’s prioritized TI maintenance and repair requirements. This level of funding for maintenance and repair of TI requirements was also part of the FY 2016 budget request. The need to maintain, repair and replace outdated and aging fencing will continue to be an issue. In addition to the base $49 million requested for fence maintenance, the FY 2016 budget request also provides funding for CBP to complete the Naco Primary Fence Replacement Project. The project is a high priority fence project for the Border Patrol and involves removing and replacing an estimated 7.5 miles of existing primary pedestrian fence, addressing vulnerabilities that have been exploited by transnational criminal organizations.6 2. Mr. Trump proposes to finance his wall by “impound[ing] all remittance payments derived from illegal 7 wages.” In 2013, Mexican immigrants—both legal and illegal—sent $22 billion back to their country of 4 Drew, Kate, “What Trump's immigration wall could cost the U.S.” CNBC.com, October 9, 2015. Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/09/this-is-what-trumps-border-wall-could-cost-us.html 5 GAO Staff, “Secure Border Initiative Fence Construction Costs,” Government Accountability Office,” January 29, 2009. Available at: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09244r.pdf Min Kim, Seung, “Trump’s immigration tab: $166 billion,” Politico, August 19, 2015. Available at: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/donald-trumps-immigration-tab-166-billion-121500; Jens Manuel Krogstad and Jeffrey S. Passel, 5 Facts about illegal immigration in the U.S, Pew Research Center. Available at: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact- tank/2015/11/19/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ Drew, Kate, “This is what Trump’s border wall could cost US,” CNBC, October 9, 2015. Available at: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/09/this-is-what-trumps-border-wall-could-cost-us.html 6 Alles, Randolph, Mark Borkowski and Ronald Vitiello, Securing the Border: Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology Force Multipliers, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on , May 13, 2015. Available at: http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/download/?id=420F0C1E-46CA-4C54-A66B-636989CB089A 7 Trump, Donald, Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again
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