Officials are hoping to break ground on a project replacing 20 miles of border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico in early April.
That's according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello.
Vitiello briefed reporters Friday on how the administration plans to spend the $1.6 billion Congress authorized for border wall construction this year.
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It's much less than the $25 billion Trump wanted. But officials are eager to show they're nonetheless making progress.
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Vitiello said the money will provide for about 100 miles of new and replacement wall, including replacing 14 miles of steel landing mat in densely populated San Diego with a bollard-style wall.
"In San Diego we’re looking at 14 miles of new border wall," Vitiello said. "Getting rid of old, dilapidated landing mats in favor of a steel-bollard wall. We’re also replacing 14 miles of secondary barrier in San Diego ."
Barriers currently blanket 653 miles of the 1,954-mile southern Mexico. Vitiello said the proposed structures will be a mix of new and replacement barriers.
“I would say it’s all new," Vitiello said. "There’s a different design going in. It’s replacing stuff that is unsuitable the dilapidated wall, this old landing mat fence that doesn’t serve our needs anymore. So I would call it all new.”
