Overview
- Customs and Border Protection has posted that panel installation is underway in the Big Bend 1 project in Hudspeth County, a roughly 47‑mile segment where cranes have been shown lifting 30‑foot steel wall panels.
- CBP says the Hudspeth work is separate from projects inside Big Bend National Park and the agency has paused in‑park construction to conduct an evaluation and coordinate with the National Park Service.
- Landowners, Conserve Big Bend and other regional plaintiffs have filed federal lawsuits seeking injunctions to stop work, and local activists report contractor staging, cleared yards and heavy equipment near the Rio Grande.
- The administration describes the activity as part of a ‘Smart Wall’ program combining 30‑foot bollards where used, vehicle barriers, patrol roads and sensors, and CBP says it has recently accelerated to about 12 miles of barriers per week and roughly 200 miles built since taking office.
- Opponents warn of ecological harm, flooding risks, damage to cultural and sacred sites and property‑rights clashes as the government uses waiver authority and pursues easements or eminent‑domain referrals, which could drive court delays and local disruption.