Overview

• Noem’s signature on the sixth NEPA waiver accelerates installation of 17 miles of floating river barriers in the Rio Grande Valley.
• CBP identified waterways along the Southwest border as security gaps where drug smuggling, human trafficking and dangerous crossings occur.
• The barriers will be placed in stretches of the Rio Grande where Texas-installed buoys triggered lawsuits over federal enforcement interference and drowning hazards for migrants.
• The waiver bypasses both environmental assessments and navigational permits normally required for federal waterway projects.
• Funds stem from fiscal 2021 Trump-era wall appropriations reactivated under the Republican One Big Beautiful Bill Act.