Overview
- CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott paused all construction in Big Bend National Park on Monday and traveled to the site for an on-the-ground review to hear from local leaders and stakeholders.
- Reporters and local residents documented that heavy equipment had already cleared and regraded park land for patrol roads, vehicle barriers and detection infrastructure before the pause.
- A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order stopping work inside the park and set a hearing for Aug. 28 to consider legal challenges to the project.
- The Department of Homeland Security previously used broad waivers to bypass environmental and cultural reviews, prompting multiple lawsuits from tribes, conservation groups and local businesses.
- The larger Big Bend sector plan remains funded with multibillion-dollar authorizations for miles of roads, vehicle barriers and 30-foot bollards outside park units, and the outcome will affect river access, wildlife habitat, tribal sites and the local tourism economy.