President Donald Trump's promise to build a new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is still just a promise.
Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan on Thursday told reporters the 78 miles that have been built along the wall have replaced former barriers and he anticipates having more than 450 new miles of wall constructed by the end of 2020.
Still, Morgan calls all the construction new.
"Every mile of wall that's being built is a new mile of wall," he said.
The federal government is still facing litigation in several states in connection with the Trump administration's decision to repurpose funds to build a wall along the border pursuant to a national emergency declaration.
The president in February issued an order to move money from Defense Department accounts and other sources to fund construction after Congress declined to authorize $5.7 billion for the project.
Morgan on Thursday said land acquisition would continue to be a challenge.
"So, it's a challenge, but again, I still think that we're on track to get the land we need for 450 miles," he said. "What I will say is that there are lawsuits out there. So, again, we've seen a lot of the judicial activisms out there, and land acquisition is not going to be immune from that as well."
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