Immigration

Border wall and barriers

96 public statements from 2026 candidates · 3 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Barriers can make it harder to cross the border between official entry points, and they cost money and affect land, wildlife and border communities.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether to build more walls and fencing along the US-Mexico border; a 2025 law set aside $46.55 billion for border barriers and the roads and detection technology that go with them.1

  1. Build walls or fencing along much more of the border
  2. Add barriers only in selected places, relying mainly on technology and agents
  3. Build no new barriers and spend the money on other border security

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Build walls or fencing along much more of the border (33)

  • Jerry Carl AL-1
    His campaign website says that in Congress he worked to pass a border security bill that included money to build a border wall and hire more Border Patrol agents, and it calls for building the wall.2
  • Dale W. Strong AL-5
    His campaign website says he fully supports building the border wall.3
  • Lauren Boebert CO-4
    Her campaign's Contract with Colorado calls for building the border wall, and a campaign flyer on her website lists a bill she introduced to finish building it.4,5
  • Aaron Bean FL-4
    His campaign website says he supports finishing the border wall, backing the Border Patrol and ending catch-and-release.6
  • John H. Rutherford FL-5
    His campaign website says he voted to fund building President Trump's border wall, secure the borders and enforce immigration laws.7
  • Joe Strada FL-11
    His campaign website calls for finishing the border wall and stopping illegal crossings.8
  • Gus Michael Bilirakis FL-12
    His campaign website says he secured the border wall to cut off cartels driving human and drug trafficking.9
  • Mike Beltran FL-14
    His campaign website says the border wall needs to be finished.10
  • Laurel Lee FL-15
    Her campaign website says she voted for a bill that puts more than $46 billion toward completing the border wall and growing the Border Patrol workforce.11
  • Brian Jack GA-3
    His campaign website says he will fight for finishing the border wall.12
  • Mike Simpson ID-2
    His campaign website's immigration page (dated April 2024) says he is fighting to build the wall and add more border patrol agents, and that he will stand with President Trump to finish the border wall.13
  • Jeff Walter IL-11
    His campaign website says he will work with President Trump to continue to secure the border, finish the wall and stop the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into America.14
  • Mike Bost IL-12
    His campaign website says he supports building a wall along the southern border.15
  • Marlin A. Stutzman IN-3
    His campaign website says he has advocated finishing the wall on the southern border as soon as possible.16
  • Misti Cordell LA-5
    Her campaign website's Platform page says she will secure the border, finish the wall, stop illegal immigration and shut down the cartels.17
  • Blake Miguez LA-6
    His campaign website says that in Congress he will finish the wall and fund the agents, among other border measures.18
  • Stephen Wagley LA-6
    His campaign website says he will support President Trump's mission of building the wall across the southern border.19
  • Paul R. LePage ME-2
    His campaign website says he will work to complete the border wall, stop illegal immigration and restore law and order.20
  • Tim Walberg MI-5
    His campaign website says he voted for what it calls the largest border security investment in history, which it says pays for the border wall, aims to stop the flow of fentanyl and upgrades border technology.21
  • Tom Barrett MI-7
    His campaign website says he will work to complete the border wall and to make sure border security agencies have the tools they need to prevent illegal entry.22
  • Thomas J. Smith MI-8
    His campaign website says he will support finishing the border wall, restoring deportations and ending catch-and-release.23,24
  • Lisa McClain MI-9
    Her campaign website says the country must secure its borders and needs to build a wall.25
  • Michael Bouchard MI-10
    His campaign website says he stands for finishing the border wall.26,27
  • Brad Finstad MN-1
    His campaign website says he wants to restart work on the southern border wall and ease staffing shortages at Customs and Border Patrol, and lists among his accomplishments securing border security funding in H.R. 1 to complete the border wall.28
  • Michelle Fischbach MN-7
    The record page lists a vote for H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, and says the bill would complete the border wall, along with other measures.29
  • Cindy Hyde-Smith MS Senate
    Her campaign website says illegal immigration must end and that she supports President Trump's plans to build a wall on the southwestern border and to increase funding for immigration enforcement.30
  • Ron Eller MS-2
    His campaign website says the national borders must be secured and calls for building the wall now.31
  • Mike Ezell MS-4
    His campaign website says he will work to finish the border wall.32
  • Brad Knott NC-13
    His campaign website says the border must be secured, the wall completed and immigration laws enforced.33
  • Justin Murphy NJ Senate
    His campaign website says the southern border wall begun under the Trump administration should be finished and that the military should be deployed to secure the northern and southern borders.34,35
  • Jeff Van Drew NJ-2
    The page lists his vote for a border security package that it describes as providing $165 billion to finish building the border wall, among other purposes.36
  • Martin Zamora NM-3
    His campaign website says he will work to finish the border wall, and lists investing in surveillance and staffing where needed among its border priorities.37
  • Ken Paxton TX Senate
    His campaign website says he would help President Trump finish building the border wall.38

Add barriers only in selected places, relying mainly on technology and agents (7)

  • Robb Tucker CA-3
    His campaign website calls for funding physical border barriers where appropriate, along with surveillance technology and more staff.39
  • Ritesh Tandon CA-17
    His campaign website says he would fully fund modern border security technology, targeted physical barriers where needed and anti-cartel operations.40
  • George Whitesides CA-27
    His campaign website says the border should be secured with advanced technology, more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges, upgraded ports of entry, and physical barriers where they make sense.41
  • George Patrick Austin CT-2
    His campaign website says border enforcement should use the most effective tools, including physical barriers in appropriate locations, cooperation with other countries and improved interior enforcement, while expanding legal ports of entry.42
  • Brian Lambert FL-14
    His campaign website says he supports securing all borders and ports of entry using enforcement, technology, adequate staffing and, where practical and effective, physical barriers.43
  • Chris Getty IL-4
    His campaign website says he will secure the border using the right combination of personnel, technology and physical infrastructure where it makes sense.44
  • Andy Harris MD-1
    His official House website says the border can be secured by enlarging and strengthening the Border Patrol, using advanced technology and putting up physical barriers where needed.45

Build no new barriers and spend the money on other border security (5)

  • Tony Kozycki GA-7
    His campaign website says he opposed the border wall as political theater, and that he supports border security that targets trafficking, cartel activity and illegal drugs.46
  • Lori Loureiro Trahan MA-3
    Her campaign website says she supports securing the southern and northern borders without a wall and does not support what it calls an ineffective, overpriced border wall.47
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It also says she opposes further militarizing the border and any expansion of the border wall along the southern border.48
  • Chris Henry OR Senate
    His platform opposes expanding the border wall and supports reviewing existing barriers for removal or modification.49
  • Ted Brown TX Senate
    His campaign website says a border wall would no longer be needed under his immigration plan and calls a wall a bad idea.50

Statements that don't match one option (51)

  • Tom Cotton AR Senate
    His campaign website says he backed President Trump's border enforcement policies and pushed to finish the border wall.51
  • Jay Obernolte CA-23
    His campaign website says he wants to finish the border wall and increase the number of Border Patrol agents to stop drug trafficking.52
  • Jimmy Gomez CA-34
    His campaign website says he was one of 19 Democrats who voted against funding President Trump's border wall.53
  • Mike Cargile CA-35
    His campaign website says the border wall should be completed, calling it the main defense against drugs and human trafficking.54
  • Young Kim CA-40
    Her campaign website says she worked to pass $46.5 billion for border wall construction along with hundreds of miles of smart-technology barriers.55
  • Nanette Diaz Barragan CA-44
    Her campaign website says she is fighting to stop President Trump's border wall.56
  • Chuong V. Vo CA-45
    His campaign website says he would push to finish border technology and infrastructure, with better training and resources for border agents.57
  • Clifton Brown CO-3
    His campaign website says illegal immigration can be stopped without walls or prisons, by holding employers who hire people here illegally to real consequences.58
  • Jason Crow CO-6
    His campaign website says secure borders are a priority but that billions of dollars should not be spent on what it calls an ineffective wall.59
  • Michael "Dr. Mike" Katz DE Senate
    His campaign website says he supports finishing wall construction in high-traffic sectors of the southern border, using targeted barriers paired with surveillance technology.60
  • Mark Davis FL-16
    His policy platform says he supports strong borders and obeying the law, and that America needs a legal immigration process people can understand, and that works, before building more walls or starting mass deportations.61
  • Matthew Montavon FL-17
    His campaign website says he supports modernizing border security infrastructure, technologies and staffing.62
  • Russ Fulcher ID-1
    His campaign website lists among his record voting to fund the border wall and supporting President Trump's border security efforts.63
  • Jennifer Davis IL-8
    Her campaign website says she supports immigration reform that secures the border with advanced technology and enforces existing laws.64
  • Nikki Budzinski IL-13
    Her campaign website says she supports funding for stronger border measures, including better border patrol technology between ports of entry and fentanyl detection devices, and that she supported legislation to hire 22,000 additional Border Patrol agents.65
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says the border should be secured with whatever each sector needs, including manpower, technology and physical barriers.66
  • Jamee Decio IN-2
    Her campaign website says border security should emphasize intelligence, advanced technology and international cooperation to prevent the entry of dangerous criminals and contraband.67
  • Jefferson Shreve IN-6
    His campaign website says he backed legislation to restart President Trump's border wall, end catch-and-release, strengthen ICE and Border Patrol, and confront fentanyl-trafficking cartels.68
  • Erin Houchin IN-9
    Her campaign website says she supports President Trump's efforts to restore border security, including finishing the wall, backing law enforcement and deporting people in the country illegally who have committed crimes.69
  • Roger Marshall KS Senate
    His campaign website says he cosponsors the Build the Wall Act (S. 42).70
  • Tracey Mann KS-1
    His campaign website says the southern border must be secured by constructing a wall, which it calls a national security, human trafficking and drug trafficking issue.71
  • Andy Barr KY Senate
    His campaign website says he has supported restarting construction of the border wall and funding to hire more border agents.72
  • Ed Gallrein KY-4
    His campaign website says he will team up with President Trump and the Republican Party to finish the wall, fully fund Border Patrol and ICE and secure the border.73
  • Julia Letlow LA Senate
    Her campaign website says she would finish construction of the border wall.74
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Policy Plans page lists securing the border with modern technology and targeted enforcement among its immigration goals.75
  • Larry Davis III LA-6
    His campaign website's Policies page lists strong border enforcement and physical barriers where necessary among his goals.76
  • Rasheed Nicholas Walters MA-8
    His campaign website says he will work to fund southern border barriers, surveillance technology and personnel to materially reduce illegal crossings.77
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would secure the border with advanced detection technology, stronger anti-trafficking operations and modernized ports of entry.78
  • April McClain Delaney MD-6
    Her campaign website says she supports the bipartisan border agreement announced in the Senate, which it says secures the border with supplemental border security funding and new technology to detect fentanyl and other contraband.79
  • Chris Dardzinski MI-13
    His campaign website says the country’s borders need to be defined and secured, and points to the Great Wall of China and a Saudi Arabian border wall as examples.80
  • Pete Stauber MN-8
    It says he supports Border Patrol agents and law enforcement and wants more construction and security measures along the border.81
  • Ann Wagner MO-2
    Her campaign website says she has worked to build the southern border wall to shield neighborhoods from violent criminals and sex offenders.82
  • Mark Alford MO-4
    His campaign website says the border must be secured by building the border wall, increasing the number of border security officers and better enforcing existing immigration laws.83
  • Rick Brattin MO-5
    His campaign website says that in Congress he will back President Trump's efforts to build the wall.84
  • Chris Stigall MO-6
    His campaign website says he supports President Trump's efforts to secure the border and finish the wall.85
  • Kevin Craig MO-7
    His campaign website, in a passage about border security, says the Republican plan to build a wall is unconstitutional and would strengthen the federal government at the expense of a free market.86
  • Carl Boyanton MS-4
    His campaign website says the country must build and maintain physical barriers, use technology such as drones and sensors, and keep personnel on the ground to stop illegal crossings.87
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website says he supports real operational control of the border, with technology, personnel and infrastructure that work, and equal attention to the northern border.88
  • Richard Hudson NC-9
    His campaign website's Protecting Our Border and Community page says the country must complete border security work with a wall and technology.89
  • Pete Ricketts NE Senate
    His campaign website says he voted for $46.5 billion in border security funding, the hiring of 16,000 Border Patrol agents and $4 billion to clear the immigration court backlog.90
  • Adrian Smith NE-3
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments votes to finish the border wall and to give the Border Patrol more funding and resources.91,92
  • Chris Pappas NH Senate
    His campaign website says border security should be strengthened with better infrastructure and technology, and that he has supported funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents.93
  • Lily Tang Williams NH-2
    Her campaign website says the border should be secured, current laws enforced and necessary barriers built to stop drug smuggling and human trafficking.94
  • Larry E Marker NM Senate
    His campaign website says he would tie Homeland Security funding to measures of full border surveillance and interdiction, and would vote against nominees who do not support enforcing immigration laws and completing border infrastructure.95
  • Afzal "Bobby" Khan NV-1
    His campaign website says he supports efforts to finish the border wall, and says he supports completing physical barriers where they are effective and using technology where it improves detection.96,97
  • Kevin Hern OK Senate
    His campaign website says he voted for border security funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill and against a resolution to overturn President Trump's national emergency order to build a wall on the southern border.98,99
  • Darline Graham SC Senate
    Her campaign website says she supports finishing the border wall and fully funding border enforcement.100
  • Mike Rounds SD Senate
    His campaign website says he has consistently supported funding for building the border wall, surveillance technology and more border enforcement personnel.101
  • Bill Hagerty TN Senate
    His campaign website says that as a senator he is working to stop illegal immigration and help build the border wall.102
  • Marsha Blackburn TN Governor
    Her campaign website says she has long supported President Trump's effort to build the border wall.103
  • Greg Abbott TX Governor
    His campaign website lists building a Texas border wall among the steps he has taken to secure the southern border.104

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.