The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Friday that $4.5 billion has been awarded to 10 new construction projects along the U.S.-Mexico border, marking the first major step in President Donald Trump’s renewed border security initiative.
The projects, funded through the GOP-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Trump in early July, represent the most significant border infrastructure investment since his first term. The sweeping legislation allocated $165 billion to the Department of Homeland Security, with $46.5 billion earmarked specifically for the completion of the border wall and related security systems.
“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This President changed that,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement celebrating the announcement. He called the new construction effort “a historic moment for our agents on the ground” and a sign that the administration was “taking control of the border.”
According to the Trump administration, the projects will help construct what it has dubbed a “Smart Wall” — a modernized border defense system that “combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology.” Scott said the approach reflects a new phase in American border enforcement. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents,” he said. “This is how you take control of the border.”
The initiative underscores a central pillar of President Trump’s second-term agenda: reasserting federal control over immigration after what Republicans have described as years of neglect and mismanagement under Democratic leadership.
With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the administration has secured funding not only for construction but also for expanded personnel, upgraded technology, and improved enforcement along high-traffic entry points.
In an August press conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the new projects would enhance both the strength and sophistication of the existing wall system. “We are also going to be painting it black,” she said, explaining that the decision was made at the president’s request. “He understands that in the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, and it will make it even harder for people to climb.”
The ten projects will be spread across key border states — Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California — and are expected to add more than 230 miles of physical barriers and nearly 400 miles of advanced surveillance technology. Noem also issued two waivers for construction in the San Diego and El Paso sectors to “cut through bureaucratic red tape and expedite the construction,” according to the department’s release.
Vice President J.D. Vance, a vocal supporter of Trump’s border security strategy, said earlier this year that the president aims to complete the wall by the end of his term in 2029. “This administration is delivering on a promise that Americans have waited decades to see fulfilled,” Vance said.
The new projects mark a sharp contrast with prior administrations, signaling a renewed federal commitment to physical border control amid ongoing concerns about illegal immigration, fentanyl smuggling, and national security. For Trump and his supporters, the message is simple: after decades of talk, the wall is finally getting finished.
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