U.S. Customs and Border Protection notified U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez on Jan. 6 that the Department of Homeland Security awarded a $1.6 billion contract to Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. to build 49 miles of border wall in a remote stretch of New Mexico’s Bootheel in Hidalgo County.
Vasquez criticized the project as wasteful and said taxpayers would see no return on the investment. He urged DHS to abandon the physical wall and invest instead in smart border security technology such as autonomous towers and aerostats.
The plan includes a 49-mile primary wall system and 60 miles of secondary barriers designed for detection technology. Vasquez’s staff visited the Bootheel on Jan. 8 and confirmed early construction activity, including road work leading to the border.
“It’s ironic that by building roads that lead right to the U.S. border in New Mexico’s Bootheel, the Administration is actually making it easier for folks to enter our country illegally,” added Rep. Vasquez.
Environmental advocates also raised concerns. Teresa Martinez, executive director and co-founder of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, said the project would permanently change the area’s landscape and disrupt wildlife movement.
The project will “permanently alter the scenic and natural character of not just the southern terminus of the CDT, it will alter the entire region,” Martinez said. “And will create unavoidable barriers for any migrating wildlife.”