CBP says construction is moving forward on the Tucson 5 project after a federal judge rejected the Tohono O’odham Nation’s request to temporarily block the border wall.
The Trump administration is moving ahead with a 62-mile border wall project in southern Arizona, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott saying Tuesday that the agency is proceeding with the Tucson 5 project.
CBP says the project is intended to close a longstanding gap along one of the agency’s most difficult border areas, between Arizona and Mexico.
The announcement comes after a federal judge rejected the Tohono O’odham Nation’s request for a preliminary injunction that sought to stop the project. Judge Richard J. Leon signed the ruling on August 13, finding that the Nation was unlikely to establish the legal basis needed to halt construction at this stage.
A $1.3 billion border-wall contract
Federal contracting data show that CBP obligated approximately $1.313 billion to SLS Federal Services LLC under a June 26 delivery order for construction associated with the Tucson 5 project.
The order covers roughly 62 miles of primary border wall in the Tucson Sector. Its potential value could reach about $2.21 billion if all contract options are exercised.
The project is part of CBP’s broader Smart Wall approach, which combines physical barriers with roads, lighting, cameras and other surveillance infrastructure. Federal law requires border-security infrastructure to include measures such as barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors where applicable.
Why the project is moving forward
DHS formally invoked its authority under Section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) on July 21.
The Federal Register notice identifies the project area as a stretch between Border Monument 163 and Border Monument 140 in the Tucson Sector and says DHS determined that additional barriers and roads were necessary because of high levels of illegal entry.
The determination also waived a broad range of federal legal requirements for construction in the project area, including requirements connected to the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, among others.
Tribal land remains a central issue
The project has drawn opposition from the Tohono O’odham Nation, whose reservation includes a large portion of the border area affected by the planned construction.
The Nation sued the federal government in June and asked the court to temporarily stop construction. Judge Leon denied that request, allowing the administration to continue pursuing the project while the broader legal dispute remains pending.
The court’s ruling does not mean every issue in the underlying lawsuit has been finally resolved.
What happens next
CBP says it is moving forward with the Tucson 5 project under the federal authorities available to the agency.
The project is expected to become one of the most significant new border-wall construction efforts in the Tucson Sector, combining a major physical barrier investment with roads and other border-security infrastructure.
For now, the key development is straightforward: the $1.3 billion-plus Tucson 5 contract is moving forward after the federal court declined to block construction.
