AIS Secures $2B in Border Infrastructure Work

AIS Infrastructure has secured approximately $2 billion in border infrastructure contracts from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), marking one of the largest recent awards tied to federal border construction efforts.

The work spans multiple locations along the southern US border, including Eagle Pass, Texas; Lukeville, Arizona; and Marron Valley and Campo, California, east of San Diego. The projects were announced on Dec. 16 and are part of a broader wave of federal investment aimed at strengthening border infrastructure.

Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, AIS will execute the projects through its subsidiary BCSS, which will operate a joint venture with Caddell Construction, headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, and Gibraltar, based in Burnet, Texas. The joint venture will lead and manage all four projects.

Federal agencies have issued billions of dollars in border-related awards since October, with additional contracts following in December, as DHS and CBP accelerate procurement tied to the southern border.

Both Caddell Construction and Gibraltar bring extensive experience to the effort. Caddell previously constructed 14 miles of contiguous border wall under a CBP contract awarded in 2020, while Gibraltar has completed work on more than 30 border fence segments, according to company disclosures.

Other contractors have also moved into the space. Granite Construction, based in Watsonville, California, captured the first border wall contract awarded during President Donald Trump’s second term earlier this year.

Each of AIS Infrastructure’s four contracts is structured as a design-build project and is currently in the engineering phase, led by HDR, an Omaha, Nebraska-based engineering firm. Field construction is expected to begin in January 2026, with project durations estimated at 30 to 36 months.

The scopes of work vary by region:

• Del Rio, Texas (DRT-1 and DRT-2) — Valued at $565 million and $364 million, these projects focus on vertical and waterborne barriers, patrol roads, access routes and complex technical security systems.
• San Diego County, California (SDC-1) — A $483 million contract covering vertical barriers, mountain access and patrol roads, along with advanced technical security systems.
• Tucson and Yuma, Arizona (TCA-1) — A $606 million project combining upgrades to existing barriers, new vertical barriers, drainage improvements, extensive patrol and access road networks, and advanced detection systems.

To support the scale of the work, AIS Infrastructure plans to add 350 to 400 employees and deploy nearly 100 additional pieces of heavy equipment by March 2026.

The company also reported that it currently has $3.7 billion in indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts under review, positioning it for further growth as the federal government moves forward with the $39 billion allocated to the broader border wall and infrastructure program.

Originally reported by Matthew Thibault, Reporter in Construction Dive.