DHS officials point fingers over delays in border wall construction
Is this competence or optics?
Border wall construction during President Donald Trump’s second term is far ahead of where it was at the same point in his first term, but Department of Homeland Security officials say it should be going much faster this time around.
Officials involved in planning and implementing the border wall system along the 1,950-mile U.S.-Mexico border can agree that more progress should have been made by now, but they cannot agree on who is to blame.
A government document that outlines border wall progress as of Jan. 27, obtained by the Washington Examiner on Monday evening, states that more than 100 miles of wall and 93 miles of waterborne barriers in Laredo, Del Rio, and Big Bend, Texas, have stalled because the final approval is waiting on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — a claim that the DHS denied.
The Customs and Border Protection memo states that the Big Bend, Laredo, and Del Rio regions of Texas will receive 102 miles of steel bollard wall, more than 90 miles of waterborne “buoy” barriers, and 2 miles of smaller replacement fencing.
The document states that the contract awards are ready to be made for those three sections of the wall, but that they are still pending approval from Noem, who is referred to in the document as “S1.”
Courtesy image.
The two-page document also states that CBP is awaiting DHS approval before awarding contracts to procure bulk steel; a project in El Centro, California; and a project in El Paso, Texas.
In mid-2025, Noem said she would personally review all contracts across the department that are worth more than $100,000, which government employees feared would lead to a major slowdown in grant and contract approvals.
Four senior federal sources told the Washington Examiner that they believe Noem’s demand to review all contracts is the reason for the delay in wall construction.
“She has required all contracts over 100K be signed off by her. I don’t think she fully understands how many 100K contracts DHS has. It has slowed several things down,” the official wrote in an email.
However, the DHS has pointed the finger at CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. In a story published by Politico in January, anonymous sources said that Scott, who was confirmed in his job in June, was holding up progress.
Courtesy image.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote in an email on Tuesday afternoon that “there are no wall contracts currently sitting in front of Secretary Noem.” McLaughlin added that because the wall funding was passed through the …
Is this competence or optics?
Border wall construction during President Donald Trump’s second term is far ahead of where it was at the same point in his first term, but Department of Homeland Security officials say it should be going much faster this time around.
Officials involved in planning and implementing the border wall system along the 1,950-mile U.S.-Mexico border can agree that more progress should have been made by now, but they cannot agree on who is to blame.
A government document that outlines border wall progress as of Jan. 27, obtained by the Washington Examiner on Monday evening, states that more than 100 miles of wall and 93 miles of waterborne barriers in Laredo, Del Rio, and Big Bend, Texas, have stalled because the final approval is waiting on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — a claim that the DHS denied.
The Customs and Border Protection memo states that the Big Bend, Laredo, and Del Rio regions of Texas will receive 102 miles of steel bollard wall, more than 90 miles of waterborne “buoy” barriers, and 2 miles of smaller replacement fencing.
The document states that the contract awards are ready to be made for those three sections of the wall, but that they are still pending approval from Noem, who is referred to in the document as “S1.”
Courtesy image.
The two-page document also states that CBP is awaiting DHS approval before awarding contracts to procure bulk steel; a project in El Centro, California; and a project in El Paso, Texas.
In mid-2025, Noem said she would personally review all contracts across the department that are worth more than $100,000, which government employees feared would lead to a major slowdown in grant and contract approvals.
Four senior federal sources told the Washington Examiner that they believe Noem’s demand to review all contracts is the reason for the delay in wall construction.
“She has required all contracts over 100K be signed off by her. I don’t think she fully understands how many 100K contracts DHS has. It has slowed several things down,” the official wrote in an email.
However, the DHS has pointed the finger at CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. In a story published by Politico in January, anonymous sources said that Scott, who was confirmed in his job in June, was holding up progress.
Courtesy image.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote in an email on Tuesday afternoon that “there are no wall contracts currently sitting in front of Secretary Noem.” McLaughlin added that because the wall funding was passed through the …
DHS officials point fingers over delays in border wall construction
Is this competence or optics?
Border wall construction during President Donald Trump’s second term is far ahead of where it was at the same point in his first term, but Department of Homeland Security officials say it should be going much faster this time around.
Officials involved in planning and implementing the border wall system along the 1,950-mile U.S.-Mexico border can agree that more progress should have been made by now, but they cannot agree on who is to blame.
A government document that outlines border wall progress as of Jan. 27, obtained by the Washington Examiner on Monday evening, states that more than 100 miles of wall and 93 miles of waterborne barriers in Laredo, Del Rio, and Big Bend, Texas, have stalled because the final approval is waiting on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem — a claim that the DHS denied.
The Customs and Border Protection memo states that the Big Bend, Laredo, and Del Rio regions of Texas will receive 102 miles of steel bollard wall, more than 90 miles of waterborne “buoy” barriers, and 2 miles of smaller replacement fencing.
The document states that the contract awards are ready to be made for those three sections of the wall, but that they are still pending approval from Noem, who is referred to in the document as “S1.”
Courtesy image.
The two-page document also states that CBP is awaiting DHS approval before awarding contracts to procure bulk steel; a project in El Centro, California; and a project in El Paso, Texas.
In mid-2025, Noem said she would personally review all contracts across the department that are worth more than $100,000, which government employees feared would lead to a major slowdown in grant and contract approvals.
Four senior federal sources told the Washington Examiner that they believe Noem’s demand to review all contracts is the reason for the delay in wall construction.
“She has required all contracts over 100K be signed off by her. I don’t think she fully understands how many 100K contracts DHS has. It has slowed several things down,” the official wrote in an email.
However, the DHS has pointed the finger at CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. In a story published by Politico in January, anonymous sources said that Scott, who was confirmed in his job in June, was holding up progress.
Courtesy image.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin wrote in an email on Tuesday afternoon that “there are no wall contracts currently sitting in front of Secretary Noem.” McLaughlin added that because the wall funding was passed through the …
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