The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded a $609.4 million contract to Parsons Government Services Inc. to manage construction of border barriers and related infrastructure in the Big Bend sector, including areas near Big Bend National Park, according to federal contracting records.
The award places a major federal project in the hands of a contractor whose past work has included legal settlements, federal audits documenting performance problems on overseas projects and criminal convictions involving former employees, though the company has not been accused of wrongdoing related to the Big Bend project.
Parsons Government Services, a subsidiary of Parsons Corp. headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, is a large defense and infrastructure contractor with billions of dollars in annual revenue and thousands of employees worldwide. Federal spending databases show the company has received hundreds of federal contracts across multiple agencies over several decades.
The company agreed in 2015 to pay $3.8 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act related to billing practices on a Department of Energy nuclear facility project, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A separate settlement in the 1990s resolved allegations involving Air Force contracts.
During Iraq reconstruction efforts in the mid-2000s, two former Parsons employees were convicted in federal court in connection with a kickback conspiracy tied to subcontracting work, according to Justice Department records. Federal oversight reports from that period also documented cost overruns, delays and terminations affecting some projects managed by the company.
More recently, multiple securities law firms announced investigations in 2025 into Parsons Corp. disclosures following financial adjustments reported by the company. Such investigations do not imply wrongdoing and do not necessarily result in enforcement action.
Federal officials say the Big Bend contract is part of a broader push to expand physical barriers along the southern border following executive orders directing agencies to pursue additional construction to achieve what officials describe as “operational control” of the border.
Between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, U.S. Border Patrol reported more than 89,000 apprehensions in the Big Bend sector and the seizure of large quantities of illegal drugs, according to DHS.
The contract was awarded under authorities granted by Congress through the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which allows the homeland security secretary to waive certain legal requirements to expedite border barrier construction. In February, DHS issued a determination waiving dozens of environmental and cultural protection laws for projects in the region, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act.
The border wall project has drawn strong reactions across West Texas. Conservation groups, archaeologists and some local residents argue construction could damage sensitive desert ecosystems, wildlife corridors and cultural resources in one of the nation’s most remote landscapes.
Supporters, including many state and federal officials, argue additional barriers are necessary to deter illegal crossings and disrupt smuggling operations in rugged terrain that has historically had limited infrastructure.
The Big Bend sector spans hundreds of miles of remote desert along the Rio Grande, including areas adjacent to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, where steep canyons, mountains and protected lands have historically limited large-scale barrier construction.
Federal officials have not released a detailed construction timeline, though the DHS waiver determination states there is an “acute and immediate need” to begin work in the designated project area.
Photo: AI generated image of Parsons border wall construction.
