Since President Trump was elected in 2016, he has been adamant that America needs stronger borders, specifically with Mexico. Over the past two years, he has had many different ideas on how to execute the border security plan.

A year ago, he asked for $20 billion dollars to complete the project, and to gain Democratic support, he offered to give citizenship to about 800,000 DACA children. However, he rejected a bipartisan plan for this deal.

Since then, there have been eight wall prototypes being tested in the deserts of San Diego, ranging from concrete to metal to a mix of both. These prototypes are being tested for their ability to repel damage, tunneling, and climbing.

A movement amongst private citizens has emerged, raising money to build the wall themselves. In December of 2018, Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran, created a GoFundMe to collect funds so citizens can build the wall. It has surpassed $20 million in just under a month with about 325,000 supporters. He mentions that “We are better equipped than our own government to use the donated funds to build an actual wall on the southern border.”

Because Congress has not agreed on building the wall, they cannot approve a budget which has caused the government to shut down. Going into the fourth week of the shutdown this January, the wall has become the focus for the President. “The Democrat Party has a simple choice,” says White House adviser Stephen Miller. “They can either choose to fight for America’s working class or to promote illegal immigration. You can’t do both.” Democrats are only willing to sign off up to $1.6 billion for wall funding. That money also comes with conditions; they want it to be used to upgrade existing fencing and protection, not build a wall. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, stated on NBC’s Meet the Press that the President “is not going to get the wall in any form”.

According to a new poll, over half of Americans want Trump to back down on the border issue so the government can continue its work.

USA Today has created an interactive map to show Americans where the problems lie (https://www.usatoday.com/border-wall/us-mexico-interactive-border-map/). The fencing that is currently in place is dictated by geography, economics, and legal factors, meaning a wall would too.

The President has not yet stated that he will use the wall in his campaign for the 2020 election. The Senate is majority Republican until 2021 but has yet to vote in favor of Trump’s plans. Trump is currently deliberating if he wants to declare a National Emergency for the wall to be built.