Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rides an ATV along the U.S.-Mexico border wall in El Paso, Texas, on April 28, 2025. Photo: Tia Dufour / U.S. Department of Homeland Security

From The Center Square

By Bethany Blankley

New contracts to add 230 miles of barriers, nearly 400 miles of technology

Roughly $4.5 billion in contracts have been awarded to expand border wall construction, including adding advanced technological surveillance along the southwest border.

Ten new construction contracts have been awarded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to add hundreds of miles of Smart Wall in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This President changed that,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”

Scott has championed advancing a Smart Wall border security system for years. A border security system is far more than a wall, he has told The Center Square, it’s an ecosystem.

The system encompasses steel and waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, advanced detection technology, including towers and aerostats, to provide Border Patrol agents with a range of tools to detect and interdict illegal activity.

CBP has published an interactive map to educate the public about the Smart Wall system. The map highlights areas of the 1,954-mile U.S.-Mexico border where wall construction has been completed, where border wall panels or waterborne barriers are under construction, where contracts have been awarded for proposed projects in the design phase or early construction, and planned construction areas that haven’t yet been awarded contracts.

Prior to Jan. 20, 2025, 702 miles of existing barriers had been constructed of primary wall and 76 miles of secondary wall, according to CBP data.

The new plan includes implementing barrier technology along 532 miles of the border where no barrier exists because of unfavorable terrain or remote location. It also includes deploying 550 miles of technology throughout previously constructed barriers, CBP says. Specific areas are also being built out in regions where contracts were previously canceled by the Biden administration.

In California, $483.5 million in taxpayer funding was awarded to BCCG Joint Venture for the Diego 1 Project to construct nine miles of new Smart Wall and 52 miles of system attributes in the San Diego Sector.

An additional $574 million was awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for the El Centro 1 Project to construct eight miles of Smart Wall and install 63 miles of system attributes in the San Diego and El Centro sectors.

In California and Arizona, $199.5 million was awarded to Barnard Spencer Joint Venture for the Yuma 1 Project to construct 60 miles of system attributes in the Yuma Sector.

In Arizona, nearly $607 million was awarded to BCCG for the Tucson 1 Project to construct 23 miles of new secondary border wall and 66 miles of system attributes in the Tucson and Yuma sectors.

In New Mexico, $155.1 million was awarded to BCCG for the El Paso 1 Project to replace seven miles of old dilapidated barrier fencing in the Santa Teresa Area of Responsibility with a new Smart Wall. BCCG will also complete 22 miles of system attributes in the El Paso Sector in New Mexico.

Also in the El Paso Sector in New Mexico, Barnard Spencer Joint Venture was awarded nearly $579 million for the El Paso 2 Project to construct 23 miles of new Smart Wall and 81 miles of system attributes.

In the El Paso Sector in far west Texas, BCCG Joint Venture was awarded $850.4 million for the El Paso 3 Project to construct 42 miles of new primary Smart Wall, six miles of new secondary border wall and 46 miles of system attributes.

In Texas, BCCG Joint Venture was awarded $565 million for the Del Rio 1 Project to construct 22 miles of new primary Smart Wall, replace two miles of old barrier wall, and deploy 40 miles of waterborne barrier system in the Eagle Pass Area of Responsibility in the Del Rio Sector.

BCCG was also awarded $364.3 million for the Del Rio 2 Project to construct 10 miles of new primary Smart Wall, 23 miles of waterborne barrier system, and install 10 miles of system attributes in Eagle Pass.

BCCG was also awarded $96.1 million for the Rio Grande Valley Waterborne Barrier Project to deploy 17 miles of waterborne barrier in the Rio Grande River, south of Brownsville in Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

Another $550 million worth of contracts was also awarded to support Smart Wall construction. Additional construction and contracts are expected.

Funding for the projects comes from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which President Donald Trump signed into law. It also includes some fiscal year 2021 border wall appropriations that were frozen during the Biden administration.

Waivers were also issued by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to expedite construction of nine miles in the San Diego Sector and 30 miles in the El Paso Sector in New Mexico. Both sectors were inundated with record high illegal traffic during the Biden administration.

MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Irish government will now pay migrant families up to €10,000 if they agree to abandon asylum claims and leave the country. Officials say the program is cheaper for taxpayers than drawn-out asylum cases or costly deportations.

Key Details:

• Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan signed an order raising the “voluntary return” payout to €2,500 per individual and €10,000 per family.
• The policy targets those with questionable asylum claims who are awaiting judgment and have no criminal record.
• Ireland’s move follows similar programs in Sweden and Germany, which have seen some success in reducing asylum applications and voluntary departures.

Diving Deeper:

The Republic of Ireland is escalating its efforts to manage a surge in migration, offering financial incentives for migrants to leave. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has authorized an increase in the voluntary return grant, raising payments to €2,500 ($2,900) for individuals and €10,000 ($11,700) for families who withdraw their asylum applications and exit the country.

This nearly doubles the previous allowances of €1,500 per individual and €6,000 per family. The scheme is aimed specifically at those awaiting decisions on asylum claims, provided they have not committed crimes while residing in Ireland.

The government has argued that the payouts, while sizable, will ultimately reduce the financial strain on Irish taxpayers. According to the Department of Justice, each asylum seeker costs the state about €122,000 ($143,000) over the course of the process, covering housing, food, and various social benefits. In contrast, even large lump-sum payments are expected to be cheaper than long-term state support—or deportation flights, such as a recent €325,000 ($381,000) operation to repatriate 35 migrants to Nigeria.

Ireland’s plan is not without precedent. Sweden currently offers €5,000 ($5,900) to those who voluntarily return home, and its government is considering expanding payouts up to €30,000 ($35,000) for welfare-dependent migrants. Germany has also reported success, with more than 8,000 failed asylum seekers leaving voluntarily under its incentive program last year.

The Irish government’s decision comes amid mounting pressure over migration. Since 2006, Ireland’s migrant population has doubled to more than one million, meaning one in five residents is foreign-born. The rapid demographic shift has fueled tensions, with rising concerns over crime, wage stagnation, and social cohesion.