Under Operation Lone Star, the state of Texas is actively building sections of the border wall with Mexico as the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump approaches.
Governor Greg Abbott has highlighted construction progress in counties like Zapata, with ongoing work as recent as early January. Texas plans to extend the wall to deter migrants.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported over 10 million encounters with migrants since January 2021 when President Joe Biden took office, with about 8 million of those occurring at the southwest border.
"Without a wall, we are left with an open border, inviting chaos, crime, and humanitarian crises," said Abbott on X. "We must complete it to restore order."
The Biden administration continued aspects of border wall construction in Texas, specifically in Starr County.
"Building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution," said Biden in 2021.
"It is a waste of money that diverts attention from genuine threats to our homeland security."
During Donald Trump's presidency, approximately 450 miles of new or replacement wall were either completed or under construction by 2020, with a goal set to have 509 miles by August 2021.
However, the Biden administration halted further construction in 2021, though some segments have continued due to legal mandates and court orders.
The completion of a wall along the entire 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico border remains uncertain due to political, legal, environmental, and financial challenges.
Trump said of the wall in 2023, "I had some problems, even with a couple of RINOS in the Republican Party. The wall was ready to be put up [and] they refused to put up the wall, [but] we will get that finished."