Key words in the title: “wall off”
Start this week. This has waited FOREVER.
“Start this week”
Construction is already underway for segments near McAllen (RGV-002 and RGV-003).
Since they are proposing to do this as FY19 projects, that means that the Rio Grande Valley - the busiest border sector, which is also the most expensive and hardest to build, will get done (barring a lawsuit of some sort) as a first term accomplishment for the President.
They plan to put FY19 money on contracts, to do essentially the whole Rio Grande Valley. Construction would then be expected to be massively underway as we head into the election, and very difficult for a Leftist Administration to stop, even if one was elected in 2020.
These will be “new” miles - the kind that the Left is trying to say Trump has ignored/failed to build (even though “new” or “replacement” don’t really matter, “most effective” next mile is what does).
The Rio Grande Valley is in fact the main battle to secure the border (the big border cities of San Diego and El Paso) are getting done already). Everything after the Rio Grande Valley will be relatively easier and cheaper. Laredo will be the next big thing (~50 miles), but after Laredo, we are are looking at significantly smaller incremental challenges, as we work down the priority list.
Getting the RGV done, would be a major transformation. It alone accounts for about half of the total illegal immigrant apprehensions on the Southern border now.