03-07-2025
Noem files waiver to speed construction of water barrier in Rio Grande
July 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver to speed up placement of a segment of water barrier in the Rio Grande on Thursday.
The waiver is used to bypass laws including the National Environmental Policy Act. This is the sixth such waiver she's signed.
This segment will include 17 miles of the barrier in Cameron County, Texas. It's within the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector.
The barriers are designed to prevent migrants from swimming across the river to enter the United States. The project has been solicited, and DHS plans to award the project at the end of fiscal year 2025. The money for the project comes from Customs and Border Protection's fiscal year 2021 appropriations.
CBP has said in a statement that the funds came from border wall contracts that were canceled by the Biden administration.
"A capability gap has been identified in waterways along the Southwest border where drug smuggling, human trafficking and other dangerous and illegal activity occurs," DHS said in its release. "In response to this gap, CBP has identified the requirement for the construction of waterborne barriers to support the border security mission in waterways. In addition, waterborne barriers are intended to create a safer border environment for patrolling agents, as well as deter illegal aliens from attempting to illegally cross the border through dangerous waterways."
Noem signed three waivers on June 5 for construction of a border wall in Arizona and New Mexico.
The Trump administration repeatedly has prioritized border-protection projects over environmental protection.
