President Trump has made good on his promise to build a border wall. Making good on the border wall was a significant commitment as the border security guard union supported candidate Trump in his presidential bid.

POTUS Trump signed and has so doing put into motion enhancements to border security. Here are some of the core components of the executive order:

  • Build the Wall along the border with Mexico.
  • Hire 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents.
  • End “catch and release” policy.
  • End funding for sanctuary cities.

Initially, U.S. Taxpayers will pay for the wall. However, POTUS Trump has insisted Mexico will pay. POTUS Trump stated in an exclusive interview with ABC’s David Muir that Mexico will pay in one form or another. The details of the payment is an unknown. POTUS Trump said the negotiations would take place.

Wall Economics

Wall estimates: 1,300 miles long. 40 feet high. 19 million tons of concrete. There is a range of cost estimates circling media outlets. The range is between 15 and 25 Billion USD. Here’s a brief breakdown of the cost covered in The Economist:

The border between the United States and Mexico stretches 1,989 miles (3,200km), but the wall itself needn’t be as long thanks to the preponderance of natural borders such as the Rio Grande. Assuming a length of 1,000 miles and a height of 40 feet (12 metres), Bernstein reckon that the wall would require $711m worth of concrete and $240m worth of cement. Including labour, the total cost of between $15 billion and $25 billion.”

The Economist article went to briefly describe what company might profit from the wall building logistics:

As it is not economically feasible to transport cement and concrete across great distances, the biggest business beneficiaries will probably be within 200 miles of the border. America has many more factories and quarries than Mexico, yet Mr. Trump is adamant that the wall will be built with Mexican money. Cemex, a Mexican firm with around half the quarries close to the border, is likely to profit.”

The Wall project is going to be complicated for Federal Agencies, Texans, and Mexico. More details will emerge in the coming months.

Featured image courtesy of ABC News