Mullin tells Congress primary border wall will be done by June 2027, secondary wall by summer 2028
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Wednesday the administration is on track to have the primary border wall, from the Pacific to the Gulf of America, completed by June 2027.
He added all contracts will be out by the end of this month, noting the department is making "great progress."
Mullin's comments came as he testified before the House Homeland Security Committee about his department's 2027 fiscal year budget. He testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday.
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However, Mullin clarified the primary wall is separate from the secondary wall.
"The primary wall is the first wall up because of the way the cartels adjust... they're thugs and they're terrorists," Mullin said. "We have to push out a secondary wall because they've been going in and cutting the wall, and before we can respond to some of these remote areas, they've been able to get through."
He said that every mile of fencing the department puts up, "the smaller the choke point gets for criminals to cross."
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To combat the potential break-ins, Mullin said the secondary 150-foot walls will be placed in certain locations, in addition to a smart wall, which will tell the department how many people are there.
"The smart wall is pretty impressive and we can put a drone in the sky and immediately keep eyes on them," he said. "We're well within track. The secondary wall — we feel like if we can continue to have the progress we have and the partnerships we're having, we will probably complete that in the summer of 2028. All of it will be fully completed."
Mullin noted he has made multiple trips to oversee the wall construction and used aircraft to fly over "a tremendous amount of it."
"We have some Democrat members that [have] had some concerns — some Democrat senators, congressmen — every one we try to address immediately," he said.