Scale of Plans for Big Bend’s Border Wall Revealed in New Documents

Newsweek · Billal Rahman · 2026-11-06 10:43 UTC

One document says the project "consists of approximately 68.2 miles of secondary barrier," while another mentions infrared illumination.

The Trump administration has drawn up plans for nearly 70 miles of secondary border barriers in the remote Big Bend region of West Texas, according to federal contracting documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Newsweek obtained a copy of the documents, which Laiken Jordahl, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, first shared on X on Wednesday. The documents provide a more detailed picture of construction specifications than the government has previously made public.

One document said the project "consists of approximately 68.2 miles of secondary barrier." Another requires contractors to install poles equipped for infrared illumination and white lighting, with wiring, fiber-optic cable and camera equipment.

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