Federal $1.679B border contract to reshape Hidalgo County Bootheel

U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded a $1,679,170,000 contract to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co., the parent company of Fisher Industries, for border infrastructure work in New Mexico’s Bootheel, federal notices show and local reporting confirmed Jan. 14, 2026. The project calls for roughly 49 miles of primary barrier and about 60 miles of secondary barrier, plus patrol roads, surveillance cameras and detection systems described in federal paperwork as a "smart wall" technology.

The award, announced publicly in early January, will bring a level of federal construction activity rarely seen in this remote corner of Hidalgo County. Residents and outdoor users should expect heavy machinery, new unpaved access corridors and an expanded law enforcement presence where the landscape is now largely open and undeveloped.

The contract has already drawn criticism from local leadership and conservation and recreation groups. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez criticized the project as wasteful and urged investment in remote sensing and other technological options instead of building a physical wall. Environmental and trail organizations expressed concern about permanent effects on wildlife movement and the landscape near the southern terminus of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a nationally designated route that ends inside the Bootheel.

Federal notices place the award in the context of a broader wave of Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Homeland Security border infrastructure activity. Those notices also explain the funding source and the federal authorities being used to speed construction, signaling that the project is part of a larger effort to accelerate work along the U.S.-Mexico border by deploying existing contracting and emergency authorities.

For Hidalgo County, the project raises immediate practical issues for landowners, recreationists and travelers to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail terminus. Permanent barrier structures and secondary fencing can alter wildlife corridors long valued by hunters and birders, and new patrol roads can change access patterns on county and federal lands. The "smart wall" surveillance components will expand persistent monitoring across stretches of the Bootheel that have seen minimal camera coverage to date.

The contract award also intensifies an ongoing policy debate about border security approaches: proponents of hard infrastructure argue it provides tangible enforcement benefits, while critics point to costs, environmental harm and alternatives that rely more on sensors and remote response. At the local level, the coming weeks and months will determine how quickly construction crews arrive, which exact alignments are used and how county officials, land managers and user groups can seek input or mitigation.

For residents of Hidalgo County, the contract means a visible federal footprint in a sparsely populated landscape and a period of change for wildlife, trails and local access. Expect announcements from CBP and on-the-ground activity in the months ahead as work plans, authorizations and timelines are finalized.