WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily stopping construction on a disputed border security project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, as the head of the agency overseeing the work travels to the area for what officials described as an “on-the-ground evaluation.”
The border project cutting through the national park in South Texas has drawn sharp bipartisan criticism from opponents who warn it could scar one of the country’s most unspoiled landscapes. Critics also contend that Big Bend’s isolated, mountainous terrain already discourages migrants and smugglers. Illegal border crossings in the area have long been lower than in other sectors and have declined even more over the past two years.
“CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Rodney Scott, the head of Customs and Border Protection, wrote on X. Scott said that over the next couple of days he planned to “listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders” as the agency weighs what he called “real” national security threats while also protecting the park.
Pause marks a rare concession from Trump administration — but unclear for how long
It was not immediately clear whether the short-term pause could lead to a longer or permanent halt to construction in the area. Still, the move underscored the strength of the bipartisan pushback and marked an unusual concession by the administration on one of President Donald Trump’s central campaign promises, a project officials have moved quickly to advance.
Congress last summer provided the Trump administration with $46 billion to build a border wall stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, the administration has pressed ahead aggressively, waiving numerous regulations in an effort to speed construction.
Scott has previously said he expects the first layer of the wall to be completed by the end of next year.
But in Texas, the administration has encountered intense resistance, particularly over construction in and around Big Bend National Park and a state park located to the west.
Earlier this year, Customs and Border Protection retreated from plans to build a 30-foot-tall bollard wall through the parks. Even so, the agency continued pursuing other border security measures, including a new road, lighting, miles of vehicle barriers intended to prevent cars from crossing the border, and technology such as fiber optic cables that would be buried beneath the fencing.
That has sparked opposition from Democratic and Republican sheriffs in the region, former national park officials, local residents who rely on the parks for their livelihood and some Texas elected officials. Critics have said it will scar the rugged landscape that attracts tourists who raft down the Rio Grande River and take advantage of some of the clearest night skies in the U.S. to gaze at stars.
Last week, bulldozers were seen clearing land at the park, sparking even more concern and raising questions from one of the state’s Republican senators.
At the time the bulldozers were seen, the Department of Homeland Security said on X that they were related to “survey and design work.”
Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary to the state’s attorney general, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over construction concerns.
“My constituents believe that the 1,000-foot riverbank cliffs and remote Big Bend terrain offers its own source of deterrence for any illegal migrants crossing into the United States. The dangerous terrain includes steep mountains, deep canyons, and expansive deserts which they believe act a natural barrier that limits large-scale movements,” Cornyn wrote.
As the wall-building efforts have shifted into high gear this year along the roughly 2,000-mile border, opposition has spiked as well.
The administration has faced criticism from Native American groups saying wall contractors are desecrating religious sites, a small Texas town worried the wall will damage its levee system, and a Catholic archdiocese that says wall construction in the El Paso area mars an important religious site.
Activists praise the pause but say it’s only a first step
Activists who have been rallying opposition to the administration’s plans said they were encouraged by the pause but they would be watching closely to see if CBP makes any significant changes or simply goes back to its previous plans.
Bob Krumenaker was the superintendent of Big Bend National Park from 2018 to 2023 and now chairs the organization “Keep Big Bend Wild,” which aims to preserve the park’s wild nature. He said he was “wary but optimistic” after news of the pause.
“They are paying attention to all of the objections that have been raised across the political spectrum,” he said.
But Krumenaker said it’s unlikely that CBP is going to entirely abandon all its plans in the region. Krumenaker said he and others would be watching to see whether the equipment like the bulldozers is removed from the park, the agency outlines a clear plan going forward and it repairs any damage already done.
“Let’s hope they significantly modify their plans in response to what they hear, and make it transparent,” he said.
Another group, which sued Homeland Security over its decision to broadly waive regulations to speed up construction projects in the Big Bend region, called the announcement “welcome news” but warned that construction could resume “at any moment.”
“This temporary pause proves how much non-partisan public pressure is mounting in West Texas and across America to stop the irreversible destruction unfolding in this crown jewel national park,” said Laiken Jordahl with the Center for Biological Diversity.
“We’re not resting until these contracts are canceled, these workers are sent packing, the waivers are rescinded and every wall plan for the greater Big Bend region is scrapped for good.”
