Bulldozers Begin Work in Big Bend National Park Amid Border Security Plans
Activists captured footage of heavy machinery clearing ground at Santa Elena Canyon as U.S. Customs and Border Protection prepares new patrol roads and barriers in the park, sparking criticism from environmental groups and politicians.
Activists monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border reported that bulldozers are clearing soil at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, part of the Trump administration’s "smart wall" expansion. The work follows weeks of video evidence showing heavy machinery preparing the site for new patrol roads and vehicle barriers, although Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initially denied the activity.
The park, an 800,000-acre desert and mountain landscape, has seen relatively few illegal crossings, with 100-125 arrests recorded in 2023 and 2024, according to former park superintendent Bob Krumenaker, who now leads the advocacy group Keep Big Bend Wild. CBP later clarified that the equipment is conducting survey and design work for planned infrastructure, not constructing a wall, and said the effort aims to keep the area "free from fear of cartel activity."
"What people are seeing right now is survey and design work – NOT construction of a wall through the park," CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said.
Environmental groups and local stakeholders have condemned the project. Laiken Jordahl, a public lands advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, described the clearing as "devastating" and warned that the agency’s contract with Southwest Valley Contractors could enable a larger wall. Legal action has been filed by river guide Billy Miller and the Center for Biological Diversity, alleging that the Department of Homeland Security’s waivers of environmental and cultural protection laws violated due process.
Congressional opposition includes a letter from Senator John Cornyn to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging a pause on construction to allow community input. While Democratic lawmakers have publicly criticized the plan, prominent Texas Republicans have largely avoided comment, though Governor Greg Abbott’s office noted the region as an opportunity for border-security technology.
The Department of Homeland Security agreed in June to provide at least 30 days’ notice before any ground-disturbing activities in the park, a concession sought by plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit.