Border Construction Begins in Big Bend National Park Amid Growing Opposition
Federal officials have started clearing land for a $1.72 billion border-security project inside Big Bend National Park, prompting criticism from local officials, former park officials and environmental groups.
Federal contractors have begun using bulldozers to clear vegetation and prepare roadways for a $1.72 billion border-security project inside Texas’s Big Bend National Park, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said. The work is part of a broader effort to complete a border barrier before the end of the current administration’s term.
Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, a former Border Patrol agent, told reporters that the region’s natural terrain has historically served as a “God-made barrier” and questioned the need for additional infrastructure. He suggested that technology such as solar-powered radar towers and drones could provide security with a smaller environmental footprint.
Retired park superintendent Bob Krumenaker, now chair of the Keep Big Bend Wild advocacy group, warned that the construction could become “the biggest desecration of the national park system” since early-20th-century dam projects in Yosemite. He emphasized that Big Bend accounts for only about 1 % of unauthorized crossing apprehensions.
State officials have also voiced concerns. U.S. Senator John Cornyn asked the Department of Homeland Security to consult local stakeholders before further work proceeds, while Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a cease-and-desist letter after a federal contractor entered the adjacent Big Bend Ranch State Park without permission.
Local residents and activists gathered near the Rio Grande to protest the project, citing potential impacts on wildlife, tourism and night-sky visibility. The demonstration included remarks from participants urging continued protection of the park’s natural resources.