DHS, CBP Award US$3.3 Billion in New Smart Border Wall Contracts

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the award of five new contracts totaling US$3.3 billion to expand the “Smart Wall” along the US–Mexico border in Texas and Arizona, pushing total Smart Wall construction contracts awarded to US$8 billion, according to the agencies.

“Securing our border is key to protecting our country, keeping our communities safe, and making sure our immigration system works the way it should. A border wall with the right technology — a Smart Wall — is an important tool to stop illegal activity and to help agents do their job, which is critical in keeping America safe," says Rodney Scott, Commissioner, CBP.

What the New Awards Add

According to the project details published on Dec. 18, 2025, the five contracts will add 156.11km of primary border wall, 30.58 km of secondary wall, and 106.22km of waterborne barriers, alongside technology components that expand “detection technology” coverage. The package also includes about 239.79 km of additional detection technology in areas where barriers already exist but the Smart Wall buildout is not considered complete.

The “Smart Wall” concept typically combines a steel bollard wall with supporting infrastructure, roads, cameras, lighting, and detection systems, and, in some locations, waterborne barriers or secondary fencing that DHS describes as a “double layer” approach.

The Five New Contracts: Del Rio, Laredo, and Tucson Sectors

The newly announced awards, issued in November and December 2025, include:

• The Del Rio 3 Project: Awarded a contract to SLSCO LTD for US$372.8 million to construct about 35.41km of primary border wall system and about 13 miles of detection technology in areas where there is an existing barrier in USBP’s Del Rio Sector in Texas.

• The Laredo 1 Project: Awarded a contract to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for US$440.4 million to construct about 24.14km of primary border wall system and about 25.75km of waterborne barrier system in the US Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector in Texas.

• The Laredo 2 Project: Awarded two contracts for this project: one contract to SLSCO LTD for US$664.8 million to construct about 65.98 km of primary border wall system, and a second contract to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for US$300 million to construct about 80.47km of waterborne barrier system in the US Border Patrol’s Laredo Sector in Texas.

• The Tucson 2 Wall Project: Awarded to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for US$1.49 billion to construct about 30.58km of primary border wall system, about 30.58km of secondary border wall, and 218.87km of detection technology in areas where there is existing barrier in USBP’s Tucson Sector in Arizona.

From October’s US$4.5 Billion Wave to a Broader “Smart Wall” Buildout

The December awards build on an earlier Smart Wall contracting wave that DHS said totaled US$4.5 billion across 10 construction contracts, expanding barriers and connected surveillance assets along the southwest border. Reuters reports that the system integrates physical barriers with patrol roads, lighting, cameras, and advanced detection technology, and that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued waivers intended to speed construction. 

MBN reports that the Smart Wall concept integrates steel and waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lighting, cameras, and advanced detection systems to provide real-time situational awareness for US Border Patrol operations. 

The October package was described as the first funded through President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), supplemented by limited Fiscal Year 2021 wall appropriations, and included regulatory waivers issued by Noem to speed construction in specific segments.