The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver to expedite the construction of about five miles of new 30-foot border wall in Starr and Hidalgo Counties, Texas. The project is located within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector.
This segment will be constructed under an existing contract using funds appropriated to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for Fiscal Year 2019. According to DHS, this is the seventh such waiver signed by Secretary Noem for border barrier projects along the southern border.
Currently, CBP has about 100 miles of new border barriers in different stages of construction and planning, funded by previous years’ appropriations. Additionally, CBP received $46.5 billion for border barrier system construction through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1),” which was signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025.
These funds are designated for building both primary and secondary walls, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, as well as technology including cameras, lights, and sensors to support surveillance and enforcement efforts along the border.
The waiver authority granted to the Secretary allows DHS to bypass legal requirements such as environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act in order to speed up construction of physical barriers and roads. According to DHS, "Projects executed under a waiver are critical steps to secure the southern border and reinforce our commitment to border security." The waiver was issued under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes itself as America’s largest law enforcement organization with more than 65,000 personnel responsible for protecting U.S. borders on land, air, and sea.
