The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has awarded the Granite Construction Company a $70 million contract to help extend the southern border wall.
This marks the first contract of President Donald Trump’s second term aimed at rebuilding the border wall.
The contract tasks the California-based company with building about seven additional miles of border wall in a key section of the southern border near Hidalgo County, Texas. Progress was made on the construction of the wall during Trump’s first presidential term, but the work was halted after former President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Biden froze funding for the border wall as part of his administration’s efforts to reassess immigration policies.
The CBP has said that the new section of the wall will help close “critical openings” that have allowed for illegal crossings, as well as drug and human trafficking operations by cartels. The area of focus framed by the Rio Grande Valley is known as a high-traffic zone for human trafficking and smuggled narcotics, making it a priority for Trump, according to CBS News.
“Completing the border wall in these locations will support the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to impede and deny illegal border crossings and the drug- and human-smuggling activities of cartels,” Border Patrol said in a statement.
Construction on the project officially began last weekend, according to an announcement posted on social media by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Everybody, I’m here in Arizona, and right at this spot you can see where the border wall ends,” Noem said in a video on her social media post. “As of today, we’re starting seven new miles of construction. We’re going to continue to make America safe again.”
During his second term in office, Trump has renewed his focus on the border wall project. He recently signed two key Executive Orders, “Securing Our Borders” and “Declaring A National Emergency At The Southern Border Of The United States,” which aim to ramp up the border wall construction progress and claim “full operational control” over the border.
Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard visited the southern border earlier this month to highlight the administration’s efforts to fight illegal crossings and drug trafficking, as covered by DX. Vance expressed hope that the entire border wall would be completed by the end of Trump’s presidency.
As reported by DX, Texas lawmakers were updated in late February on the state’s progress in constructing a portion of the southern border wall. Officials announced big advancements toward completing a 100-mile stretch by 2026. The state-funded project is aligned with the federal directives issued by Trump aimed at strengthening border security.