Border construction in Big Bend National Park paused amid local opposition

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Monday that construction activities inside Big Bend National Park would be temporarily suspended while the agency’s commissioner, Rodney Scott, conducted an on-site review and met with local officials and residents. The pause follows weeks of criticism from ranchers, environmental groups, law-enforcement officials and Texas politicians over a plan to build patrol roads, detection equipment and short vehicle barriers across the 801,163-acre park.

The project, part of a $7.5 billion border-security allocation for the Big Bend sector, was originally described as “survey and design work” for future infrastructure. Critics say the work threatens the park’s desert landscape, which receives fewer than 3,100 apprehensions annually and accounts for about 1.3 % of all Southwest border arrests.

"We have what I like to call the God-made barrier," said Thaddeus Cleveland, the Republican sheriff of Terrell County, who has served 26 years in the U.S. Border Patrol. He argued that additional agents and technology, rather than extensive physical barriers, would be more effective in the region’s rugged terrain.

Rancher Yolanda Alvarado, whose family has lived on the land for generations, described past wall construction near her property as a failure that caused flooding and damage. She said she does not feel unsafe and questioned the necessity of new barriers on her ranch.

State officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, reiterated that CBP had promised not to erect a traditional wall or fence in the park, emphasizing the use of “other tools and strategies” for security. More than 40 Texas lawmakers have urged the governor to intervene, and Senator John Cornyn warned that the area’s natural cliffs already serve as a deterrent.

The CBP pause does not specify a timeline for resumption, and the agency has not indicated whether the planned roads and vehicle barriers will be altered or cancelled.