Seventeen miles of “waterborne barrier” that will be deployed in Cameron County are part of $4.5 billion in contracts that were awarded to build hundreds of miles of new border wall, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

On Friday, DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced 10 new construction contracts totaling approximately $4.5 billion to add 230 miles of barriers “and nearly 400 miles of technology” to secure the border.

According to a news release, BCCG Joint Venture was awarded over $96 million “for the deployment of approximately 17 miles of waterborne barrier in the Rio Grande,” in Cameron County.

The news release did not specify what kind of waterborne barrier would be deployed in Cameron County. 

The contracts were awarded in September and are the first to be funded by Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, the news release stated.

The $4.5 billion in contracts will create hundreds of miles of “SmartWall,” a border security system that the news release says combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology.