Overview
- Customs and Border Protection has active contracts and staged materials and is preparing panel installation for specific Big Bend segments scheduled for August and September 2026.
- The Smart Wall program uses One Big Beautiful Bill funding to combine steel bollard panels, vehicle barriers, patrol roads and surveillance technology for 'impedance, domain awareness and mobility.'
- CBP says parks will not get 30-foot barriers and that some areas bordering Big Bend National Park will receive patrol roads, vehicle barriers or technology instead of primary wall panels.
- Multiple multi‑billion dollar contracts have been awarded to firms including Fisher Sand & Gravel, Barnard, and Southwest Valley Constructors and some construction materials have been staged near Marfa and Van Horn.
- Local landowners, conservation groups and county officials have filed or signaled lawsuits, challenged routes and warned of environmental and access harms while CBP says it will use outreach, regulatory waivers and eminent domain if needed.