U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), have begun construction on the San Diego Secondary Wall Project with the first panels put in place on February 18, 2019.
On December 20, 2018, CBP awarded a contract to construct up to 14 miles of secondary wall in California within the U.S. Border Patrol’s (USBP) San Diego Sector (SDC). The contract was awarded to SLSCO Ltd. using CBP’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 appropriations.
The secondary wall project includes the replacement of existing secondary barrier with a 30 ft. tall steel bollard wall. This project is directly north to the San Diego primary fence replacement project that is currently under construction funded with FY 2017 funding. These two important barriers, in combination with a patrol road and technology, create an enforcement zone for the USBP as part of a border wall system. Given the high-density population in the San Diego-Tijuana area, the updated border infrastructure is critically needed.
Border barriers, along with appropriate technology, roads and personnel, have significantly reduced illegal entry in SDC, however more work remains to be done. In FY 2018, there were approximately 38,000 apprehensions in the SDC by USBP.
