A variety of barriers currently exist, in segments, along 654 miles of the Southern U.S. border. In South Texas, construction crews are preparing to erect an additional 33 miles of new fence, with funds appropriated last year. Protesters are upset that it will cut through the National Butterfly Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, and the century-old La Lomita chapel. Trump is asking Congress for 234 miles of additional “see-through, steel slat” fencing, and accompanying technology, for a total of $5.7 billion. If he gets it, which is unlikely, the total length of the border wall would still cover less than half of the U.S.-Mexico border.
