Crews working for the state of Texas have hoisted what officials are calling the final panel of the state-built border wall, capping a multiyear construction push that began in late 2021 under Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star. The installation completes a series of noncontiguous steel barriers along the Rio Grande and, according to state leaders, marks the end of active construction, with only minor finishing work still on the to-do list.
What officials say
According to the Texas Facilities Commission, Interim Executive Director Will McKerall told commissioners the project had reached "mission accomplished" after crews locked in the last panel, completing an 82.2-mile-long permanent barrier. The commission notes that the first panel went into the ground on Dec. 18, 2021, and that workers were still wrapping up bridge work at two remaining sites. On its project page, the agency frames this stage as the formal close of the Texas Border Infrastructure Program and the end of active wall construction operations.
Money, miles and enforcement
State reports shared with local outlets put the price tag in the multibillion-dollar range. As reported by KTXS, officials say the effort has drawn roughly $3 billion in state funding so far. The Texas Department of Public Safety has told state panels that migrant encounters along the southern border remain well below the spikes of recent years, with troopers now logging about 80 to 100 arrests per week for crossings between ports of entry.
Former Customs and Border Protection chief Victor Manjarrez told reporters that directed-energy counter-drone systems are "very focused, very efficient and very accurate," underscoring a technology-heavy shift in enforcement that is expected to operate alongside the physical barriers.
Funding and political context
State lawmakers largely stopped pumping new cash into wall expansion in mid-2025, instead allowing previously approved money to run its course and finish the current scope of work, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that the Texas Facilities Commission said in April 2025 that about $2.5 billion in funding still remained available to cover additional miles through 2026.
The project has drawn steady fire from critics and local environmental groups, who question both the price and the basic design. Reporting by The Texas Tribune has highlighted how many wall sections are fragmented, arguing that such gaps make the barrier less effective than a continuous structure.
Lasers, drones and airspace safety
The wall rollout has coincided with a growing reliance on counter-drone tools and a few high-profile mishaps that triggered a closer look at airspace rules. The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration signed a new agreement following February incidents in which a Pentagon-loaned laser was used on an object near El Paso and soldiers later engaged a Customs and Border Protection drone near Fort Hancock, as reported by The Washington Post.
DefenseScoop has reported that officials say recent safety testing at the White Sands range, along with the new agreement, is intended to avoid shutting down chunks of airspace while still giving local authorities room to use emerging counter-drone systems.
What comes next
With the heavy construction phase effectively over, state leaders say the broader mix of steel barriers, surveillance gear, and patrols will lean increasingly on federal programs and technology-driven "smart wall" tactics. Local opponents, meanwhile, are making clear that lawsuits and political challenges are not going anywhere.
For communities along the Rio Grande, the immediate future likely means fewer construction crews trundling through town and a longer-running debate over how state and federal agencies manage river crossings, property access and environmental fallout from the wall that Texas just finished piecing together.
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