The Fight to Save Big Bend from the Border Wall
One of the most dramatic conservation battles in recent Texas memory is unfolding in the remote borderlands of West Texas, where the Trump administration’s push to wall off the southern border has collided with fierce, bipartisan opposition to running a 30-foot steel barrier through some of the most beloved wilderness in the country.
The Plan
In February 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security waived 28 laws covering environmental protection and historical and archaeological preservation to expedite construction in a more than 150-mile stretch from Fort Quitman in Hudspeth County to Colorado Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park. The proposal called for what the Trump administration brands a “Smart Wall” — a system that combines steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras, and advanced detection technology.
Last month, DHS awarded $3.76 billion in contracts for the Big Bend region in West Texas alone. The funding traces back to Congress: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July 2025, appropriated $46.5 billion for border wall construction. As justification, then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem declared the Big Bend Sector “an area of high illegal entry” and said she must use her authority to install additional barriers and roads in the region.
Landowners were sent letters by CBP notifying them of the federal government’s need to enter their property to either construct barriers on it or go through it to construct barriers and were given three options.
Option A proposes property owners enter into a right of entry for construction agreement (ROE-C) allowing federal access to their property to complete surveys, appraisals and begin and complete border barrier construction.
“The ROE-C does not grant CBP permanent access to your property, nor does it include the permanent transfer of any real property interest to CBP; it is just an agreement to provide CBP temporary access to the property so that it may conduct activities related to border barrier construction. Your land is still your land, you would just be giving CBP permission to enter onto your land and begin construction on border barrier infrastructure if necessary. Should CBP determine that it is a permanent need for any portion of your property, CBP will then need to separately acquire those property rights from you as required by the uniform relocation act.” — From letters sent to Bid Bend area landowners from CBP
Option B proposes a landowner sell an easement to the federal government outright.
If the landowners aren’t open to the first two options, Option C would take effect: DHS would initiate an imminent domain condemnation process to take their property.
The Numbers Tell a Different Story
Critics say the data simply doesn’t support the construction. The Border Patrol‘s Big Bend Sector encompasses 517 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and has historically been the least busy of the nine border sectors. In fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol recorded 3,096 apprehensions there — just 1.3% of apprehensions recorded across the entire U.S.-Mexico border. This year, the Big Bend sector had the fewest encounters of all Texas border stretches, with only 832, while some other Texas stretches saw as many as 7,000 encounters.
Big Bend National Park generated approximately $56.8 million for the local economy in 2024 and welcomed more than 560,000 visitors. Opponents argue a wall would devastate that economic engine while doing little for security.
Conservation and Community Concerns
For conservationists, the stakes could hardly be higher. David Keller, a noted archaeologist of the region, characterized the plans as “the military industrialization of one of the last, great, unspoiled places remaining in the United States of America.” Among the laws waived by DHS were the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and Keller warned that the proposed wall would destroy thousands of years of Native American history stored in the soils of the region.
Environmental groups also raised alarms about wildlife. The Center for Biological Diversity noted that the regulatory waivers “dismantle the checks and balances that normally govern how public money is spent and how major federal projects are scrutinized.” The area is home to numerous endangered and migratory species that travel freely across the Rio Grande.
Local landowners face a more immediate threat. The government sent letters to some landowners threatening to condemn their land through eminent domain if they didn’t willingly allow federal access. One elderly Presidio farmer who received such a letter worried that a barrier would cut off his access to river irrigation water.
New @NBCNews:
— Ryan Chandler (@RyanChandlerTV) March 18, 2026
Plans for 120+ miles of border wall through Texas’ Big Bend region have sparked unified opposition across the political spectrum. I drove out to hear from the landowners and law enforcement urging DHS to reconsider.
Here’s our report: pic.twitter.com/9kRnWhlN2O
Broad-Based Opposition
The outcry has been strikingly nonpartisan. The sheriffs of Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Presidio and Terrell counties — a mix of Democrats and Republicans — wrote an open letter stating that based on decades of combined experience with the terrain, a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security.
More than 2,000 people gathered outside the Texas Capitol in Austin on Saturday, to protest the proposed construction. Republican and former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson joined Democrats on stage, saying: “I oppose the wall ’cause we already have a wall. It’s nature’s wall. It’s been there for millennia, the border is secure.”
“The idea that bulldozers are gonna come through there and change the landscape, it touches down so deep in my soul that I had to be here. I just could not let it happen. As a native son of this state, I just could not, if I might be able to stop it.” — Calvin Plumb, protester at the Texas Capital
An online petition opposing the barrier, led by a photographer near Terlingua, gathered more than 100,000 signatures.
Amazing speeches today from local river outfitters at today’s protest in the Big Bend. Every single river outfitter joined a flotilla today at Santa Elena Canyon to deliver one message to DHS and Governor Abbott: no border wall, no razor wire, protect the Rio Grande. pic.twitter.com/fafRqw8h4O
— Laiken Jordahl (@LaikenJordahl) April 4, 2026
PODCAST
In Big Bend, Texas, residents across party lines are voicing strong opposition to the Trump administration’s plans for a new border wall, arguing it would disrupt communities and threaten a beloved region along the Rio Grande.
(Episode from April 3, 2026)
Texas Leaders: For and Against
On the opposition side, 46 Texas lawmakers sent a February 28 letter urging Governor Abbott to ask the Trump administration to halt the plans, arguing modern surveillance technology and coordination among agencies could effectively patrol the area without a wall. Republican state Rep. Wesley Virdell called Big Bend “a national treasure” and questioned the need for a wall where crossings are already so low. Democratic state Rep. John Bucy III said border security efforts should not come at the expense of public lands. State Reps. Eddie Morales and César Blanco, both Democrats who represent the Big Bend area, called upon Governor Greg Abbott to put a stop to the plans outright.
On the other side, Abbott’s press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told Marfa Public Radio that “rugged, isolated areas like Big Bend are great opportunities to deploy technology to aid in securing the border” — though the contracts in place call for a physical wall. Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents Big Bend in Congress, had not made a public statement for or against the wall — though he did have a direct role in funding it as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Where Things Stand
As of early April 2026, the CBP website no longer indicates a border wall will be constructed through Big Bend National Park, with the agency’s map instead showing “virtual wall” detection technology for the region. However, advocates say it is too early to declare victory.
Don’t be fooled: people are sharing news that the border wall in Big Bend has been stopped. This isn’t the case.
— Laiken Jordahl (@LaikenJordahl) March 31, 2026
CBP just tweaked its map again, hoping to ease the growing backlash. Contractors could show up with bulldozers and start building a wall through the park tomorrow.… pic.twitter.com/P37qLfBZbe
The Noem waiver covering the entire sector has not been rescinded, and 175 miles in the physical wall zone remain designated as such in various versions of the CBP map.
The battle for Big Bend, it seems, is far from over.
Big Bend National Park has more bird species than any national park in America, one of the darkest skies on the continent, a river that is older than human memory.
— American Conservation Coalition (@ACC_National) March 31, 2026
Texas gave America this. And it's worth protecting. pic.twitter.com/TtNCxr91my
Sources:
- The Texas Tribune / Inside Climate News: “Border wall is closing in on Texas’ Big Bend country” (Feb. 23, 2026) — texastribune.org
- The Texas Tribune: “A border wall through Big Bend appears to be on hold after public outcry, but questions remain” (April 3, 2026) — texastribune.org
- FOX 7 Austin: “‘Primary border wall’ construction in Big Bend National Park may begin this year: CBP” (Feb. 27, 2026) — fox7austin.com
- FOX 4 Dallas–Fort Worth: “Big Bend ‘primary border wall’ plans apparently retracted” — fox4news.com
- Houston Public Media / Marfa Public Radio: “Big Bend region could see border walls, new surveillance tech under Trump’s ‘Smart Wall’ plan” (Oct. 24, 2025) — houstonpublicmedia.org
- Deseret News: “The rise and fall of a border wall in Big Bend National Park” (March 30, 2026) — deseret.com
- Texas Signal: “The New ‘Smart’ Border Wall Comes to Texas” (April 1, 2026) — texassignal.com
- Marfa Public Radio / KUT / TPR: “Protesters gather in Austin to defend Big Bend against proposed border wall” (April 4–5, 2026) — marfapublicradio.org
- KENS 5 / NewsWest 9: “Texas lawmakers urge Governor Abbott to halt border wall expansion through Big Bend” (Feb. 26–27, 2026)
- KGNS: “46 Texas lawmakers urge Abbott to halt Big Bend border wall construction” (March 3, 2026) — kgns.tv
- Big Bend Sentinel: “Local opposition to border wall mounts” (Feb. 25, 2026) — bigbendsentinel.com
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Austin City Council is giving YOU the opportunity to weigh in on what they city should rename Cesar Chavez Street to:
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They've asked City Manager, TC Broadnax, to hold a series of in-person and virtual meetings, and surveys, to gather public input for a new name. He will then… pic.twitter.com/X9ltTYPk43
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— Mayor Kirk Watson (@KirkPWatson) April 2, 2026
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Only 16 U.S. cities made the list.
Where did Austin rank?
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5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
For the second day in a row, there were no active wildfires in Texas. A wetter, cooler weather pattern should help this trend continue.
(Brown dots indicate 100% containment. Any active fires would be highlighted in red.)
UPDATE (4:00 PM)
Two new fires have sparked today.
The Hot Pink Fire in Oldham County.
The Orange 3409 Fire in Orange County.
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Abbott has since deleted the post.
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BREAKING: Gas tanker erupts in flames after crash knocks down power lines in Fort Worth, Texas early Sunday; driver critically injured. pic.twitter.com/aWWUExKBXx
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SPORTS
MLB: It was a tough weekend for both the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros.
Elly De La Cruz singled home the winning run in the eighth inning after scoring in the fourth inning with the use of his speed as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Sunday to sweep the three-game weekend series. (Associated Press)
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BRENT ROOKER’S SECOND HOMER OF THE GAME IS A WALK OFF IN THE 10TH pic.twitter.com/ae07RTJeJu
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 6, 2026
ON THE SCHEDULE
STANDINGS
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Alperen Sengun made the go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left on a pass from Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets held off Stephen Curry in his return after being sidelined more than two months for a 117-116 victory Sunday night.
Curry missed a long, straightaway 3-pointer in the final seconds. (Associated Press)
Is your rookie scoring 40+ in back-to-back games?
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 6, 2026
Winning Play of the Game presented by @choctawcasinos. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/u9fC3DsMec
Cooper Flagg scored 45 points and the Dallas Mavericks ended their longest home losing streak in 32 years at 14 games with a 134-128 victory over the depleted Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
The Mavericks and Rockets are off tonight. San Antonio hosts Philadelphia.
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