The federal government announced a new $1.49 billion contract to construct about 19 miles of primary border wall and 19 miles of secondary border wall in Arizona, and to add detection technology along 136 miles where border barriers already exist in the state.
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the award to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. in a news release Thursday.
It was one of five new contracts totaling $3.3 billion to build a "Smart Wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border; the other four projects are in Texas. The money comes from the 2025 legislation called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"The Smart Wall includes a steel bollard wall, along with roads, detection technology, cameras, lighting and in some cases waterborne barrier or a secondary wall — creating a double layer barrier," the news release said.
The new contract for Arizona construction, called the Tucson 2 Wall Project, is shown on a CBP map as being in the Nogales, Sonoita and Douglas areas; the Sonoita reference apparently refers to border areas south of the community, as Sonoita is about 25 miles north of the border. Project details were not immediately available.
Controversial new border wall construction is already underway in the grasslands of the San Rafael Valley, about 30 miles south of Sonoita.
A Border Patrol vehicle patrols along the existing border wall near Sasabe.
In addition, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued nine new waivers to fast-track construction efforts in multiple border sectors, including the Tucson Sector, published in the Federal Register, the news release said.
In total, the five new contracts, awarded in November and December, will add 97 miles of primary border wall system, 19 miles of secondary border wall, 66 miles of waterborne barrier system and 149 miles of detection technology in locations where barriers already exist but the Smart Wall is not complete, the release said.
Notably, the contracts include a first for Laredo, Texas, which has not had a border wall before, according to Border Report, but will get 56 miles of new border wall and 66 miles of waterborne barrier to be put in the Rio Grande there.
CBP is accepting public comments through Monday on the project, which is part of 222 miles of additional border wall, including primary and secondary walls, planned in Border Patrol's Tucson Sector.
The Sky Island Alliance posted an "action alert" on its website to help concerned citizens submit their comments to CBP, and elected officials, before the upcoming Dec. 22 deadline — "a last chance to weigh in on plans for walls with 30-foot-high steel bollards and stadium lighting."
"The proposed border wall projects will sever the remaining corridors for endangered jaguars and ocelots," the environmental group says. "And a single bollard-style wall alone is predicted to decrease all wildlife crossings by 86%. Double wall is expected to stop all large animals completely. Wall construction will draw down precious groundwater, degrade habitat, and destroy cultural sites. We also stand to lose access to natural dark skies for miles beyond the border itself."
