Nearly all of the 110 miles of border fencing planned for West Texas and New Mexico have been contracted out at the cost of more than $220 million, a Department of Homeland Security official said Thursday.

Angela de Rocha, a Homeland Security spokeswoman, said the department has awarded 11 contracts for fencing in the US Border Patrol's El Paso sector, which includes Hudspeth and El Paso counties in Texas and all of New Mexico.

Homeland Security is working to complete 670 miles of fencing on the US-Mexico border by the end of this year. About 340 miles of fence has been built, and Congress has approved $2.6 billion for construction. But Homeland Security officials recently told Congress the project might not be finished on target and asked for an additional $400 million for construction.

The El Paso sector contracts, which are composed of all but one mile of fencing planned for the region, total about $228 million, de Rocha said.

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