A border security project that Big Bend residents have spent months trying to stop is now on pause.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott announced that the agency is temporarily halting construction in Big Bend National Park while he visits the region to evaluate the project firsthand. Scott said he plans to meet with local leaders, residents, and other stakeholders before deciding how to move forward.
"We know the current and predictable national security threats, and they are real," said Scott. "Now, over the next couple of days, I will join a small team to evaluate the terrain and listen to local leadership, community members, and stakeholders to ensure that we secure our borders while simultaneously protecting BBNP for generations to come."
For residents who have spent much of the year protesting the project, the pause represents a chance to have their concerns heard. An online petition opposing the proposed border infrastructure has collected more than 175,000 signatures since February.
Local opponents argue that border barriers, along with roads, lighting, and maintenance infrastructure, could damage Big Bend's remote landscape, disturb archaeological sites, disrupt wildlife migration, and hurt a tourism industry that generates an estimated $56 million for the region.
The debate has also drawn bipartisan opposition. Sen. John Cornyn (R) recently urged the Department of Homeland Security to meet directly with Texas stakeholders before additional construction begins. He pointed to the region's steep mountains, canyons, deserts, and 1,000-foot riverbank cliffs as natural deterrents to illegal crossings.
At the same time, CBP has maintained that it is not planning to build a 30-foot wall through Big Bend National Park or Big Bend Ranch State Park. Instead, the agency says its plans include roughly 200 miles of patrol roads and detection technology, along with about 17 miles of vehicle barriers in strategic locations.
For now, Scott's review gives both sides time to look at what border security in one of Texas' most remote landscapes should actually look like.
