Overview
- The contract, awarded May 11 to Southwest Valley Constructors, is listed on federal spending sites as for a “border wall” and totals about $1.72 billion.
- CBP says the money will pay for roughly 17 miles of vehicle-barrier systems and about 205 miles of ‘system attributes’ made up of patrol roads, cameras and sensors.
- Federal notices published in mid-May grant DHS waivers of environmental and cultural-resource laws to fast-track work and the agency says construction could begin this summer where land issues are resolved.
- Local residents, former National Park Service leaders and conservation groups say even roads, low-profile barriers and lighting would harm wildlife, change river access and permanently alter park lands, and at least one lawsuit has been filed challenging the waivers.
- The award is part of a wider, multibillion-dollar border effort in the greater Big Bend region that includes separate contracts for longer wall segments outside park boundaries and raises questions about prioritizing large spending where encounters have been relatively low.