Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has signed off on plans for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reprogram funds for up to $1 billion of infrastructure work on the U.S. southern border in response to a request from the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon announced Monday night.
The news comes more than a month after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency regarding security at the border, a move that allowed for the reallocation of DoD funds to border protection.
“These funds will be used to support DHS’s request to build 57 miles of 18-foot-high pedestrian fencing, constructing and improving roads, and installing lighting within the Yuma and El Paso Sectors of the border in support of the February 15 national emergency declaration on the southern border of the United States,” defense officials said in a statement.