PHOENIX (AP) - Construction on a Pentagon-funded portion of border fence began this week near Yuma, Arizona.
It comes just as federal officials revealed a list of Defense Department projects that will be cut to pay for President Donald Trump's wall.
The exact details of the Yuma project are unclear. But it appears it will consist of about 5 miles of fencing along the Colorado River in a section of the border that has seen a huge increase in migrant families over the past year.
Apprehensions have dropped steeply over the past two months because of the hot summer and a clampdown on migrants by the Mexican government.
Locals and environmentalists oppose the border wall, saying it will irrevocably damage wildlife habit and water resources.
