BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas – Construction of a section of border wall through Big Bend National Park has been paused.
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What we know:
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Monday that the pause is meant to give him time to visit the site and conduct an “on-the-ground evaluation.”
“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,” Scott said in a post on X.
The backstory:
Images of heavy equipment rumbling across the picturesque landscape of the park surfaced last week, leading some to wonder whether the pristine nature of the wilderness would be wrecked.
Scott issued a statement after those images, saying CBP was not building a 30-foot wall or installing bright lights through Big Bend.
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Related
Bulldozers begin work on border security project in Big Bend National Park
Heavy machinery has begun clearing land in Big Bend National Park for border security roads and detection technology.
“CBP is building one new access road, improving existing roads, installing detection technology, and placing vehicle barriers in limited, strategic locations,” Scott said in the statement.
Tribal groups filed a lawsuit that sought to halt construction, arguing that the work threatens archaeological resources and places of “culture and potentially religious significance.”
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