Kristi Noem Signs Waiver for Texas Border Wall Construction

ByMexico Solidarity

Washington. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver Tuesday to ensure the expeditious construction of approximately five miles of new, 30-foot-high border wall in Starr and Hidalgo counties in the Texas Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector.

“These miles are part of an existing contract for the border wall, which is already under construction, using U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations. This is the seventh waiver signed by Secretary Noem for border barrier construction projects along the southern border,” the statement said.

The Secretary’s (Noem) waiver authority allows DHS to waive any legal requirement, including environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, to ensure the expeditious construction of physical barriers and roads.

“Projects implemented under this waiver are crucial steps to securing the southern border and strengthening our commitment to border security,” the agency argued.

“These funds will be used to construct a combination of primary and secondary border walls, river barriers, patrol roads, and the technology necessary to integrate them all, such as cameras, lights, and sensors. This will provide agents with the information and situational awareness needed to respond to irregular activity, as well as the access, mobility, impedance, and denial attributes necessary for successful interdiction,” the text adds.

Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has approximately 100 miles of new border barrier in various stages of construction and planning, funded by prior-year appropriations. Additionally, CBP received $46.5 billion for the construction of the border barrier system through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (HR 1), signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025.

The waiver was issued pursuant to Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.