The future of President Donald Trump’s promised border wall lies in massive pieces in the California desert.
NBC News got an early look at the eight nearly-finished prototypes, assembled near the existing fence along the U.S.-Mexico border miles outside San Diego, ahead of Thursday's deadline for the sections to be completed.
Four of the prototypes are made from concrete and are competing for the chance to be used for the concrete portions of the wall.
The other four prototypes are made from non-concrete materials that are competing to be used for the stretches of barrier that can be seen through.
All are between 18 and 30 feet high.
Two of the eight prototypes — one solid, the other see-through — seen from across the border in Tijuana. Guillermo Arias / AFP - Getty Images
After the Thursday deadline passes, each sample will be tested on several criteria, officials said.
“We're going to test it for breachability. For the subterranean aspect,” Roy Villareal, the Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector of CBP, told NBC News. “Can we dig under it? Can we cut through it? Can we scale over it?”
According to a rendering released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, Trump’s wall has been envisioned as a multi-faceted barrier that features a concrete stretch facing the U.S. and a non-concrete stretch facing Mexico that would allow officials to see through it.
A graphic presented by border patrol during a presentation about the proposed border wall. NBC News
This image shows the concrete portion of the wall (E) would sit on the U.S.-facing side of an electronically monitored zone and another barrier (B) — which can be seen through — faces toward the Mexico. The monitoring zone would be about 150 feet wide and alert patrol agents if someone breached the initial border barrier.
But even with the prototypes nearing completion, the question over how the U.S. would fund the entire wall remains unanswered. Trump has said repeatedly that Mexico will pay for the wall; Mexico has said just as many times that it will not.
The White House’s proposed 2018 budget seeks $1.8 billion to begin building new sections of the wall and replace existing ones, which would include money to build 28 miles of levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley and 14 miles of new wall to replace fences south of San Diego. White House officials have suggested that the entire wall project could cost between $8 and $12 billion, but internal DHS assessments suggest the cost could be higher — as much as $21 billion.
This combination of pictures shows the eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall near San Diego seen from across the border from Tijuana, Mexico, on Oct. 22, 2017. Guillermo Arias / AFP - Getty Images
Even bigger questions, however, surround whether a massive wall would be effective.
Villareal acknowledged “It's hard to gauge” whether a massive wall would cut historically-low apprehensions along the border.
“There's always going to be some form of crime, or in this case, illegal migration,” he said.
Residents of Mexico put it more bluntly.
“I don't know why Donald Trump is so obsessed with this unnecessary waste of money,” Pedro Murillo, a man who tried to cross the border as young man, told NBC News from the Mexican side of the border. “Because, there will always be a way to cross.”
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake announced on Tuesday he will not seek reelection when his term in the  is up next year, citing issues within the United States Republican Party and with President Donald Trump, whose behavior he called "reckless, outrageous, and undignified." The Trump administration said Flake had poor support among his constituency.

In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Flake said, "The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters — the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and," he said, "I believe, profoundly misguided." He later added on CNN's '''', "It's difficult to move forward in a Republican primary if you have been critical of any of the behavior that's gone on... We Republicans certainly can't countenance that kind of behavior. We ought to stand up and say 'This is not right. This is not us. This is not conservative.' "
Senator Jeff Flake in 2016.
"Based on the lack of support he has from the people of Arizona, retirement's probably a good move,"   told the media. Recent polls showed Flake has limited popularity with Republicans in Arizona.

Last year President Trump told other Arizona politicians he planned to personally spend US$10 million to see that Flake did not win the Republican primary, the intra-party election that names the party's official candidate. About two months ago Trump tweeted in support of Flake's rival for the primary nod, , "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!"

Republican Senators  and , who have also been critical of President Trump, stood and clapped at the end of Flake's floor speech. Corker later called Flake a "real conservative." Republican Senator  of Maine described herself as deeply disappointed by Flake's decision. Republican Senator  and  Senator  referred to it as "sad" and "depressing."

Kaine commented, "When someone as good and decent a person as Jeff Flake does not think he can continue in the body, it's a very tragic day for the institution."

Flake has recently published a book, ''Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle'', in which he criticizes what he sees as Trump's negative effect on the tone of United States politics. Politically, Flake has differed from President Trump on trade and immigration, specifically the  and the , with Flake in favor of both agreements and Trump against.  Flake also co-authored a 2013 law that would have given undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship if it had passed. Trump is in the early stages of building a wall on the U.S.– border in an attempt to prevent people from entering the U.S. illegally and has issued three executive orders limiting immigration from specific countries, though these were later blocked.

United States senators serve six-year terms.  One third of the Senate is elected or reelected every two years.



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CAT:United StatesCAT:Politics and conflictsCAT:ElectionsCAT:Republican Party (United States)CAT:ArizonaCAT:Donald Trump