The Border Wall in Arizona and New Mexico

From 2017 and 2021, 455 miles of border wall were built between the U.S. and Mexico. The environmental damage is severe.

On January 21, 2021, the day that President Biden halted construction of the border wall, Wildlands Network began to map the construction on the border in Arizona and New Mexico in fine detail in order to assess the damage and to determine how much was actually built. Fortunately, several crucially important wildlife corridors were saved at the last minute when construction was halted. However, an incredible amount of damage was inflicted on our nation’s public lands, and large portions of the border remain impassable to all but the smallest creatures.

“The borderlands have long been an essential region for the continental movement of wildlife,” said Myles Traphagen, borderlands coordinator for Wildlands Network who led the mapping effort.

Earlier this week, we released the first publicly available map documenting the U.S.-Mexico border wall through New Mexico and Arizona. It depicts completed sections of border wall as well as other related construction activities and is the most accurate, detailed and up-to-date documentation of new sections of border wall completed during the Trump Administration.

Explore our StoryMap to see maps, images and videos illustrating the damage done.