New Border Wall To Go Up In 3 South Texas Counties Next Year
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - The U.S. government has awarded three contracts worth more than $812.6 million for construction of about 65 miles of new border wall along the lower Rio Grande in South Texas.
In a statement issued Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say the contracts were awarded Sunday to two contractors.
The wall projects are to include steel bollard walls of 18-to-30 feet in height, all-weather roads, lighting, security cameras and other technology in 19 separate segments in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties.
The statement says the walls will go up, starting early next year, where none now exist but not in areas prohibited under the CBP's 2019 appropriation.
The sector is the CBP's busiest, accounting for about 40 percent of its immigrant apprehensions.
President Donald Trump campaigned during the 2016 election season that he would build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and Mexico would pay for it.
He is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Dallas at the American Airlines Center on Thursday, October 17.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)