The border fence that will be partially financed from the budget of the Homeland Security Department was one of the components of a comprehensive immigration reform plan that was debated by Congress earlier this year.
The plan triggered the most massive demonstrations by immigrants in US history.
The bill falls far short of ambition reform goals set forth by the president, who, in addition to border security measures, wanted to offer legalization to some of an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States and create a system that would regulate the flow of illegal immigrants.
The plan, however, ran into opposition from the conservative wing of the Republican Party.
"We can build the tallest fence in the world, and it won't fix our broken immigration system," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.
The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 80-19.
The House of Representatives passed the same bill on September 14.