Prototypes under construction for U.S.-Mexico border wall

Construction of eight border wall prototypes is under way as the Department of Homeland Security seeks to advance President Donald Trump's landmark promise.

The construction includes four concrete wall prototypes and four prototypes using "other materials." Construction began Sept. 26 in San Diego, Calif., close to the U.S.-Mexico border. The prototypes are expected to be finished near the end of October.

The prototypes will be designed to deter illegal immigration in the area where they are constructed and be between 18 to 30 feet high, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Sept. 26 news release.

"Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border," Ronald Vitiello, CBP acting deputy commissioner, said in the news release.

In an August press conference announcing contracts awarded for concrete prototypes, Vitiello said officials will examine the prototypes' aesthetics, how penetrable and resistant they are to tampering, and their anti-scaling or anti-climb features. Those contracts ranged from just under $400,000 to just under $500,000.

"There's still a lot to do, right. We are going to build four prototypes for concrete and then we are going to build four other materials, and then we are going to make decisions about which is most appropriate for which location," Vitiello said.

Evaluation of prototypes will take 30 to 60 days, he said.

Congress approved $20 million to start wall planning and to award for the construction of the prototypes, CBP spokesman Roger Maier told PolitiFact.

Companies building concrete border wall prototypes include the following:

• Caddell Construction Co., (DE), LLC, Montgomery, Ala.

• Fisher Sand & Gravel Co., DBA Fisher Industries, Tempe, Ariz.

• Texas Sterling Construction Co., Houston

• W. G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., Philadelphia, Miss.

Companies building border wall prototypes with other materials:

• Caddell Construction Co., (DE), LLC, Montgomery, Ala.

• KWR Construction, Inc., Sierra Vista, Ariz.

• ELTA North America Inc., Annapolis Junction, Md.

• W. G. Yates & Sons Construction Co., Philadelphia, Miss.

It remains uncertain where funding will come from for a more extensive border wall. Mexico continues to say it will not pay the costs, and Democrats in Congress have also resisted funding the construction.

Still, with the prototypes' construction, the Trump administration is moving forward on the promise. For now, we continue to rate Trump's pledge In the Works.