The Trump administration has awarded $4.5 billion in new contracts to expand the Smart Wall system along the southwest border, marking the first projects funded under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced in a press release to Newsmax on Thursday that 10 contracts were awarded between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30, 2025. The projects will add 230 miles of barriers and nearly 400 miles of advanced technology, delivering on Trump’s pledge to secure the border.

“For years, Washington talked about border security but failed to deliver. This President changed that,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement. “The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border.”

The Smart Wall combines steel and waterborne barriers with patrol roads, lighting, cameras, and detection systems designed to give Border Patrol agents real-time tools to stop illegal crossings. Officials said the technology will also reinforce existing wall sections where contracts were canceled under the Biden administration.

The 10 projects represent the first to be financed by Trump’s signature border funding package, alongside leftover wall appropriations from fiscal year 2021 that were frozen during Biden’s tenure.

To fast-track the work, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued waivers clearing regulatory hurdles for nearly 40 miles of construction in California and New Mexico.

Among the largest awards:

• El Paso 3 Project: $850 million to build 42 miles of new primary Smart Wall, 6 miles of secondary wall, and 46 miles of system upgrades in Texas.
• Tucson 1 Project: $606 million for 23 miles of new secondary wall and 66 miles of system features in Arizona.
• El Centro 1 Project: $574 million for eight miles of new wall and 63 miles of technology in California.
• Del Rio 1 Project: $565 million for 22 miles of Smart Wall and 40 miles of waterborne barriers in Texas.

Other projects cover areas in San Diego, Yuma, El Paso, and the Rio Grande Valley, with additional contracts exceeding $550 million awarded for support services.

CBP said construction under the One Big Beautiful Bill will continue with more contracts expected in the coming months.

The latest push underscores Trump’s border-first approach, contrasting with prior policies that halted wall construction. Supporters argue the Smart Wall strengthens national security and relieves pressure on frontline agents, while critics have long questioned the cost and effectiveness of physical barriers.

With the new funding stream secured, federal officials say they intend to accelerate work across multiple border sectors, reinforcing Trump’s first-term pledge that “the wall will be built.”