By Ellis Preston | Arizona Capitol Times
Key Points:
- The Department of Homeland Security is spending $4.5 billion to fund a smart wall along the Southwest border
- The smart wall is a combination of technology, including motion sensors and barriers
- Over $800 million in federal funding for the Arizona border sectors
The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Oct. 10 that a “smart wall” has been officially funded along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Southwest, according to a press release from the CBP.
There were 10 different construction contracts for the smart wall awarded in late September, totaling $4.5 billion, according to DHS. Two of the contracts allocate funds to Arizona border sectors of Tucson and Yuma. The Tucson contract awards just under $607 million for the project with the Yuma contract awarding just under $200 million.
“The Smart Wall means more miles of barriers, more technology, and more capability for our agents on the ground. This is how you take control of the border,” Rodney Scott, the CBP commissioner, said in the press release.
