Which construction contractors built sections of the Trump-era border wall and where are they based?
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Executive summary
CBP has publicly awarded at least two sizable Trump-era border‑wall contracts: Granite Construction Co. won a $70.3 million award to build roughly seven miles in Hidalgo County, Texas (Rio Grande Valley) [1] [2], and Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. won a $309.46 million award to build about 27 miles in Santa Cruz County, Arizona (Tucson sector) [3]. Reporting and agency releases indicate both firms have prior border‑barrier work and are based in the U.S. — Granite is a California‑based heavy civil contractor [2], and Fisher has held multiple federal wall contracts and was described as a repeat winner in Arizona and other sectors [4] [5].
1. Contracts named, dollar values and places
Customs and Border Protection’s public releases list Granite Construction Co. as the recipient of the first contract of President Trump’s second term — $70,285,846 to build about seven miles of new wall in Hidalgo County, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley sector [1] [2]. A later CBP release names Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. as the awardee of a $309,463,000 contract to build roughly 27 miles of new wall in Santa Cruz County, Arizona (Tucson sector) [3].
2. Where the contractors are based and their prior work
The Independent and CBP materials identify Granite as a California‑based heavy civil construction company listed on the S&P 600 [2]. Multiple trade and local reports note Granite has previously won border fencing and barrier contracts in Nogales, Imperial, and El Paso areas [4]. Fisher Sand & Gravel is repeatedly identified in CBP and local reporting as a recurring federal border‑wall contractor with substantial projects in Arizona and other sectors [3] [5].
3. Scale and context of the awards in the broader program
Reporting places these awards within a renewed push to expand barriers: outlets calculate “dozens” of miles added and cite waivers and new funding streams enabling construction [6] [3]. PolitiFact and Engineering News‑Record describe the effort as adding “over 80 miles” of new barriers at the time of their surveys and note waivers and prior appropriations being used to accelerate projects [7] [8]. Available sources do not give a complete, single list of every contractor that has worked on the Trump‑era wall; they highlight specific large awards and firms repeatedly appearing in CBP releases [1] [3].
4. Why these firms show up repeatedly — procurement, pre‑qualification and timelines
Earlier procurement cycles pre‑qualified multiple heavy‑civil firms to bid on border projects; industry coverage from 2019 notes a dozen companies shortlisted for multi‑billion programs, laying groundwork for repeat awards [9]. Construction trade reporting and CBP statements say several of these companies already held contracts or task orders from prior years, meaning firms like Granite and Fisher were positioned to receive follow‑on projects as funding and waivers became available [4] [8].
5. Controversies and competing perspectives in the reporting
Local and national coverage documents friction: environmental and local officials protested waivers that accelerate work by exempting federal laws [6] [10]. The New York Times details community opposition in Laredo and mentions waivers that limit environmental review [6]. Conversely, CBP and administration statements frame the work as filling “critical openings” to impede crossings and smuggling [1] [3]. Some local reporting raises questions about influence and oversight where a single firm dominates regional awards; a Tucson report cites a federal inspector‑general audit tied to Fisher awards [5].
6. What the sources do and do not say (limitations)
CBP releases and news outlets provide contract winners, dollar amounts and locations for specific awards [1] [3] [2], and trade reporting summarizes prior contracts [4]. They do not, in the provided reporting set, present a comprehensive roster of every contractor that worked on all Trump‑era wall sections or a full corporate ownership map; available sources do not mention a complete, single list of all contractors and their headquarters beyond the firms highlighted here (not found in current reporting). They also do not provide detailed, independently verified timelines for each project’s completion in these snippets (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for readers
Public CBP notices and contemporaneous reporting identify Granite Construction (California‑based) and Fisher Sand & Gravel as major named recipients of Trump‑era wall contracts for specific Texas and Arizona stretches, respectively [1] [2] [3]. Coverage reveals both firms are repeat contractors and that the awards sit amid politically charged debates over waivers, environmental impact and procurement oversight [6] [4] [5]. For a full, definitive list of all contractors and headquarters tied to every Trump‑era wall segment, federal contract databases and additional CBP releases beyond the provided sources would need to be consulted (not found in current reporting).