The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on February 20, 2019 in a tweet: \"We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 — 47 days ahead of schedule!\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Immigration * National * Homeland Security * Donald Trump ![\\"Miriam](\\" By Miriam Valverde February 25, 2019 # Donald Trump leaves out part of the story with New Mexico border barrier President Donald Trump’s ongoing quest for border wall funding isn’t stopping him from celebrating projects already in the works. \"We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 – 47 days ahead of schedule! Many miles more now under construction! #FinishTheWall\" Trump tweeted Feb. 20. His tweet included a video showing construction over time. > We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January > 30, 2019 – 47 days ahead of schedule! Many miles more now under > construction! #FinishTheWall pic.twitter.com/TYkj3KRdOC > > — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2019 He amplified the message by retweeting his own tweet a day later and adding, \"THE WALL IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW!\" At Trump rallies, chants have gone from \"build the wall\" to \"finish the wall.\" We’ve fact-checked Trump’s previous claims about border wall been under construction. We rated those statements Mostly False, because the projects included replacement fencing and others planned before Trump ran for office. With Trump’s newest declaration of a completed wall in New Mexico, we wanted to take a fresh look. Barriers have gone up in New Mexico. (Trump calls them walls.) But this section of the border isn’t getting a barrier for the first time; what was built replaced existing structures. Government documents suggest the project finished either on time or earlier than anticipated. New Mexico border project replaced vehicle barrier The project in New Mexico consists of 20 miles of replacement barriers that officials say will be more durable and effective in stopping vehicles and pedestrians from illegally entering the United States. The barriers that were taken down were designed to stop vehicles from crossing into the United States. They were a mix of low posts and tall fencing that border authorities said would not stop people from walking across the border. The fence could be breached and climbed over, and the posts were low enough that people could also climb over them or go through some of their gaps. Customs and Border Protection used the terms post and rail, Normandy-style fence, and bollard fencing to describe the previous barriers. Here\'s what the previous fencing looked like: ![](\\" ![](\\" Previous vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Jan. 18, 2018. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) The new project is fencing consisting of \"new-type P-3 bollard wall,\" according to a March 2018 environmental stewardship plan prepared by consulting firms for U.S. Customs Border and Protection. It\'s designed to stop vehicles and also prevent people from climbing over it or going underneath it. \"The removal of vehicle fencing and replacement with pedestrian fencing will assist (U.S. Border Patrol) agents in reducing illegal cross-border violations by improving enforcement efficiency while providing a safer work environmental (sic) for agents,\" the plan said. The replacement fence was designed to withstand vehicle impact and resist cutting with hand tools or torches, the document said. The overall project also included the installation of border lights, detection cameras, and improvements to patrol and access roads, the report said. Crews started replacing the 20-mile vehicle barrier west of Santa Teresa, N.M., on April 9, 2018, Customs and Border Protection said in a news release that day. They called the new construction a \"bollard-style wall\" that would cost $73.3 million. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" JD Vance stated on August 25, 2024 in an interview on NBC\'s \"Meet the Press\" A zero-tolerance policy during the Trump administration \"led to less family separation than under Kamala Harris\' border policies.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • September 4, 2024 Aaron A. Hull, the El Paso Sector chief patrol agent, said the barrier would be 18 to 30 feet high during a press conference. A reporter asked Hull if he was referring to the construction as a wall, instead of a fence, to match Trump’s terminology. Hull said he heard physical barriers \"referred to by a lot of terms\" during his time at the agency. \"The wall that we are putting in place is accurately described as a wall, because it’s a very serious structure,\" Hull said. \"You are talking, like I said, 18 feet, 5-foot anti-climbing plate, concrete filled with rebar, 6 feet into the ground, another 2 feet of concrete underneath that, sir, it’s very much a wall and we are going to use it to stop illegal entries.\" ![](\\" Screenshot of video showing replacement barrier being installed west of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, April 11, 2018, in New Mexico. The new barrier ranges from 18 to 30 feet high and border authorities said it\'s more difficult to climb over or go underneath. Border Patrol says this barrier can stop both vehicles and pedestrians. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) Hull also said the replacement barriers were a result of an executive order from Trump calling for physical structures at the southwest border. \"Does that mean this is the president’s border wall?\" a reporter asked Hull. \"That is correct,\" Hull said. \"The president has started his project. ...This is the beginning in this sector of the president’s border wall.\" Trump in 2017 ordered the construction of border wall prototypes. But Customs and Border Protection is not using any of the eight prototypes for new construction, because they did not meet agency requirements. The agency said the prototypes \"provided valuable data\" to help select design elements for future designs. Funding for the New Mexico project came from the fiscal year 2017 budget, the agency told us. Contract details name the Defense Department as the awarding agency for the project and \"U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Civil Program Financing Only\" as the funding sub-agency. (The video included in Trump’s tweet featured the Army Corps of Engineers’ logo.) According to a Customs and Border Protection spokesman, the Army Corps of Engineers \"helps the contract/acquisition process on behalf of Customs and Border Protection.\" 47 days ahead of schedule? Customs and Border Protection has given varied estimates for the project’s completion. By one measure, it was 47 days early. By another, it was on time. Customs and Border Protection said in a press release that the project would take about 390 days to complete, ending as late as May 2019. Hull bumped it up two months to March 2019 in his April news conference. The contract with the Montana company doing the construction said the \"period of performance\" was Jan. 22, 2018, through March 18, 2019. However, the environmental stewardship plan said the project would take nine months to complete. Since it started in April, it should have ended in January. By that metric, actual construction wrapped along the expected timeline. Our ruling Trump said, \"We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 — 47 days ahead of schedule!\" The construction that ended Jan. 30 replaced vehicle fencing; it did not cover new areas of the border for the first time. Officials say the new barrier can stop vehicle and pedestrian crossings. It has been described as both a fence and a bollard-style wall by Customs and Border Protection. Timelines for the project’s completion have varied. But they generally show that it either finished on time or ahead of schedule. Trump\'s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it Half True. Share the Facts 2019-02-25 16:49:44 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" 4 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" halftrue.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: Half True We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico. Completed on January 30, 2019 — 47 days ahead of schedule! Donald Trump President of the United States ![](\\" in a tweet Wednesday, February 20, 2019 2019-02-20 Read More info #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Twitter, @realdonaldtrump tweet, Feb. 20, 2019; tweet Feb. 21, 2019 Email exchange, U.S. Customs and Border Protection press office, Feb. 22, 2019 PolitiFact, Donald Trump wrongly claims border wall is under construction, April 4, 2018 PolitiFact, Has construction \'already started\' on Trump’s border wall in San Diego?, June 26, 2018 CBP.gov, Environmental Stewardship Plan For Replacement, Operation, and Maintenance Of Tactical Infrastructure, U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector Santa Teresa Station, New Mexico, March 2018; Border Wall System - Frequently Asked Questions; Santa Teresa Border Wall Replacement Project to Begin, April 9, 2018 YouTube, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Press Briefing - Santa Teresa Wall Project, streamed live April 9, 2018 USAspending.gov, contract summary for New Mexico border barrier project ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Miriam Valverde ![](\\" ![](\\" Pramila Jayapal stated on August 30, 2021 in an Instagram post: “The average hospital stay for a case of COVID-19 costs about $17,064. The vaccine is free.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • September 2, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mitt Romney stated on August 29, 2021 in a CNN interview: The Trump administration worked to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners. ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • August 31, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Joe Biden stated on August 20, 2021 in a press conference: There has been “no question of our credibility from our allies around the world” regarding how the U.S. is withdrawing from Afghanistan. ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • August 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 16, 2021 in a Facebook post: COVID-19 vaccinations are “a violation of the Nuremberg code.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • August 20, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on August 4, 2021 in a press conference: Says Joe Biden has driven the current coronavirus surge because he “imported more virus from around the world by having a wide open southern border.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • August 6, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on June 16, 2021 in a press conference: “That meth … it’s almost all coming across the southern border and it’s been accelerating for the last six months.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • June 21, 2021 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 4, 2021 in an Instagram post: \"920 women lose their unborn babies after getting vaccinated.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • June 8, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 26, 2021 in a Facebook post: Police defunding is to blame for “skyrocketing murder rates” in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Portland, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 28, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 25, 2021 in a Facebook post: “Biden agrees to Pelosi\'s request to resign.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 17, 2021 in social media posts: “Gas prices highest in a decade. Worst jobs report in 2 decades. Highest inflation in 3 decades. Highest increase in illegal immigration in 4 decades.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • May 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kevin McCarthy stated on May 12, 2021 in a statement to reporters: \"I don\'t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 14, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kamala Harris stated on May 4, 2021 in a speech: “The global cost of corruption is as much as 5% of the world\'s GDP.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • May 7, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron DeSantis stated on April 19, 2021 in a speech: “If you look at some of these places that (reduced police funding), they’ve already seen crime go up.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Miriam Valverde • May 4, 2021 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on April 22, 2021 in an Instagram post: \"Mountains of data\" show drug ivermectin \"basically obliterates\" COVID-19 transmission. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 23, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 7, 2021 in a Facebook post: Says the nation is locked down and there’s “a wide open border.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Miriam Valverde • April 15, 2021 ### Donald Trump leaves out part of the story with New Mexico border barrier * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in a post: Vice President Kamala Harris’ college professors disparaged her as their “worst student.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 17, 2024 in a post: Photo shows Kamala Harris posing beside Sean “Diddy” Combs. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sara Swann • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 18, 2024 in Instagram posts: “BREAKING: Police found ‘explosives’ in car near former President Donald Trump’s rally site on Long Island.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Dave McCormick stated on September 13, 2024 in an X post: Charleroi, Pennsylvania, “has grown by 2,000% due to an influx in migrants.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 13, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: \"El gran respaldo de Taylor Swift\" a Kamala Harris \"le cuesta $125 millones en acuerdos de marca\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 16, 2024 in an Instagram post: Taylor Swift “lost 17 million followers by endorsing Kamala.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on September 13, 2024 in a post on X: Rep. Ruben Gallego’s “first act in Congress was to propose legislation to BAN the use of the term ‘illegal alien.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Mia Osmonbekov • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sherrod Brown stated on September 4, 2024 in a TV interview: Of Bernie Moreno, “Now, he’s arguing for a national abortion ban, no exceptions.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 19, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 16, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Country Music Television (CMT) has announced a permanent boycott of Taylor Swift.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 11, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Disney World officially moving to Nashville.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 18, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! 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We have just built this powerful Wall in New Mexico Completed on January 30 2019 47 days ahead of schedule