The United States Customs and Border Protection has granted a construction company approximately $70 million for a continuation of the wall along the southern border, marking the first such contract of President Trump’s second term.
This contract assigns Granite Construction Co., a California-based firm with prior government project experience, to construct about seven additional miles of the wall along a segment of the U.S.-Mexico border in Hidalgo County, Texas. Border Patrol made the announcement on Saturday, stating its purpose is to “fill critical gaps” in the wall that was only partially completed under Mr. Trump’s previous administration. Upon taking office, former President Joe Biden halted funding for the border wall initiative.
“The completion of the border wall in these areas will enhance the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) capacity to obstruct and prevent illegal border crossings, as well as the drug and human trafficking activities conducted by cartels,” stated Border Patrol. The agency identified the section of the Rio Grande Valley where construction will begin as a typical entry point for undocumented crossings and a location that “sees high volumes of individuals and narcotics being smuggled into the country illegally.”
Mr. Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who previously served as the governor of South Dakota, announced that construction officially commenced on Sunday.
“Hello everyone, I’m here in Arizona, and right at this spot you can see where the border wall concludes,” Noem remarked in a video posted on social media. “Beginning today, we’re starting seven new miles of construction. We’ll continue to make America safe again.”
A contentious initiative aimed at curtailing illegal immigration into the U.S., the border wall has regained attention from federal officials following Mr. Trump’s return to the White House. Among his various executive orders, the president has issued two, “Securing our Borders” and “Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States,” which instruct the Department of Homeland Security to “take all appropriate action” to achieve “full operational control of the southern border.”
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard visited the southern border earlier this month to emphasize the Trump administration’s initiatives to tackle illegal crossings and drug trafficking. Since Mr. Trump assumed office, illegal border crossings have significantly decreased, although Vance noted, “The president hopes to complete the entire border wall by the end of his term.”
