TUCSON, Ariz. — Border wall construction in Arizona and New Mexico is to be expedited after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem issued three new waivers. About 36 miles of new wall to 'close critical gaps' will go up as a result of the order, according to a media release from Customs and Border Protection.
These waivers come in addition to the waiver that was signed by Noem and published in the Federal Register in April 2025 for border wall construction in California.
According to CBP, the Secretary's waiver authority allows DHS to waive environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act — to ensure the expeditious construction of physical barriers and roads, by minimizing the risk of administrative delays.
The waivers cover projects funded through CBP's Fiscal Year 2020 and 2021 appropriations. These projects include:
- Tucson Sonoita Project (~24.7 miles)
- Tucson 10-4 Project (~0.2 mile)
- Tucson 10-6 Project (~2.1 miles)
- Yuma Sector Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) Wall Project (7 gaps; ~40-240 feet)
- El Paso Sector Santa Teresa Secondary Wall Project (~7 miles)
- El Paso Sector 16-4 Wall Project Anapra (~1.3 miles)
- El Paso Sector 2 Wall Project & Port of Entry (POE) Gate (~0.2 mile & ~40 feet)
CBP says, "Together, these projects will close critical gaps in the border wall and enhance border security operations in the U.S. Border Patrol’s El Paso, Tucson and Yuma Sectors."
The waivers were issued pursuant to Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
Erick Meza is the borderlands coordinator for the Sierra Club. The club sued the first Trump Administration because the club felt like the border wall impacted migration of animals in the area.
“The environment that used to live in this areas are not going to exist in those areas anymore,” Meza said. “It will completely close the last of the wildlife migration corridors that we have in Arizona.”
Part of their lawsuit, Meza said, was a win for them because they got to extend areas between the wall and wildlife corridors.
However, he said construction could also affect invasive plants. Construction on the border wall, he said, could spread them because of disruption to the soil.
“It does a lot of damage to the soil, compacting it, and in some other cases removing it,” Meza said.
To expedite construction, the Department of Homeland Security, CBP said, is lifting environmental laws that limit where the federal government can build.
“A lot of different impacts that later on…what we have seen…is that they had to go back and fix,” Meza said.
Arizona’s representative for Customs and Border Protection, John Mennel, said leftover money from Trump’s last term is going to be used for construction. It’s easier, he said, for agents to control the area when there’s a barrier.
Meza said the Sierra Club is going to continue to take legal action against the Trump administration to stop the border wall from being built.
“We want to make sure that we minimize the harm as much as possible and make them comply with some of these environmental laws,” Meza said.