Trump administration aims to complete border wall before end of President Trump’s term

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said the Trump administration plans to complete both the primary and secondary border wall system before President Donald Trump leaves office, while expanding the use of smart fencing, drones and surveillance technology to counter evolving tactics used by Mexican drug cartels.

Appearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Mullin said the administration was adapting its border strategy as criminal organisations increasingly turned to tunnels, drones and other methods to bypass existing barriers. He said the Department of Homeland Security was studying vulnerable sections of the nearly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border while balancing security requirements with concerns raised by border communities. He added that the department was deploying additional technology alongside physical barriers. According to Mullin, the secondary barrier would give Border Patrol agents more time to respond if cartels breached the primary fence.

The hearing featured bipartisan discussion on border security, although lawmakers differed on the best approach. Immigration and border security remain central to President Trump’s second-term agenda. The administration has sought billions of dollars from Congress to expand border barriers, recruit additional enforcement personnel and deploy advanced surveillance technologies aimed at curbing illegal crossings and disrupting transnational criminal organisations.