On January 20, 2025, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a memorandum on the first day of President Trump’s second term, promoting the expansion of “smart border walls” along the southwestern border of the United States.
These smart border walls utilize surveillance technologies including cameras, drones, biometric identification technology, and motion sensors to prevent illegal immigration and track unauthorized border crossers.
According to a memorandum dated January 20, 2025 obtained by Da Ji Yuan, a segment of a 12-mile-long smart border wall built in the San Diego area has already proven to reduce manpower requirements and enhance security. The analysis of this early border facility outlined in the memorandum indicates that the amount saved solely on personnel costs is roughly equivalent to an annual return on investment of approximately $28 million for the entire applicable period of the system. Manny Bayon, the President of the San Diego Border Patrol Union, told Da Ji Yuan that the tested segment of smart wall stretches from Imperial Beach to the Chula Vista area of San Diego County.
This memorandum was signed by CBP senior official Pete Flores and was distributed to top officials of CBP and the U.S. Border Patrol. The memorandum states, “The construction of a smart border wall system is crucial to protecting our southern border.” Noted as “effective immediately,” the memorandum also states that CBP will take action to swiftly complete border wall construction and deploy all related technology. It instructs CBP to “utilize the most expeditious tools to ensure access to needed lands, including leasing private property,” and to set up “all feasible temporary barriers” along the southwestern border to prevent illegal entry.
The memorandum highlights that CBP will also collaborate with Department of Defense personnel and any interested state government authorities to “identify and deploy available capabilities to protect the U.S. border, and, based on the judgment of the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol and available funding, expedite the construction and/or establishment of additional barriers.” The directive calls for additional physical barriers to be installed in known border gap areas, such as at Otay Mountain and in communities near the eastern border of San Diego County, like Jacumba and Boulevard.
The gap at Otay Mountain is approximately 15 miles from downtown San Diego, equivalent to the length of four football fields. The terrain in this area is rugged, posing significant challenges and risks for patrol officers and illegal border crossers alike. Bayon pointed out that during the four years of the Biden administration, thousands of illegal immigrants have entered the United States through this illegal crossing point.
Bayon stated that border wall construction was halted during the Biden administration but efforts are now being made to fill these gaps. Since President Trump took office, the morale of Border Patrol agents has greatly improved, with Bayon stating, “Previously, we were like Walmart greeters welcoming illegal immigrants ‘in.’ Now, we have a president who has given us the authority to do our job. It’s fantastic.”
Bayon also noted that illegal border crossings have significantly decreased since Trump took office. “We used to make around 1,000 arrests per day, and now it’s down to about 100 per day.”