Admin Pauses Border Project in Texas   08/18 06:17

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily 
pausing construction of a contentious border construction project in Texas' Big 
Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall 
visits to do an "on-the-ground evaluation."

   The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce 
bipartisan opposition by critics who say it is marring the area's pristine 
environment. They argue the region's rugged and remote terrain already serves 
as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Border crossings in the area have 
historically been lower than other regions and have dropped even further 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, who 
heads Customs and Border Protection, said on X. Scott said over the next couple 
of days, he was going to "listen to local leadership, community members and 
stakeholders" to address what he said were "real" national security threats 
while protecting the park.

   Customs and Border Protection did not respond to questions about how long 
the construction was paused or give any details on whom Scott would be meeting 
with in Texas.

   A rare concession from Trump administration

   While it isn't clear whether the brief suspension portended a more permanent 
halt to the construction in the area, it reflected the intensity of the 
bipartisan opposition and was a rare concession from the administration on a 
signature promise of the president's that it has raced to complete.

   Congress gave the Trump administration $46 billion last summer to build a 
wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the administration has 
been charging ahead and waiving numerous regulations in an effort to swiftly 
build the wall.

   Scott has said he expects the first layer of the wall to be built by the end 
of next year.

   But the administration has run into fierce opposition in Texas, especially 
when it comes to construction in and near Big Bend National Park and a state 
park to the west.

   Customs and Border Protection earlier this year backed off plans to build a 
30-foot-tall bollard wall through the parks but was still moving forward with 
other border protection measures such as a new road, lights, barriers designed 
to stop cars from crossing the border and technology such as buried fiber optic 
cables.

   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.

   The sheriff of Brewster County, which includes Big Bend National Park, said 
Monday that he'll be meeting with Scott during his trip and that he was glad 
the commissioner was going to have the opportunity to see the terrain with his 
own eyes and hear firsthand from people in the region.

   Ronny Dodson is concerned about possible damage to archeological sites and 
Native American burial grounds caused by construction for the new road that's 
supposed to be built through the park. He hopes Scott will see how closely the 
new road mirrors an already existing road, and Dodson said he wants more 
information about the technology the agency plans to use to secure the border.

   Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary 
Markwayne Mullin over the weekend and suggested that the construction pause was 
a result of their talk. Abbott said the secretary committed to the governor 
that there would be no wall or barriers built in the park, but the governor 
made no mention of the road building that has concerned local residents.

   Bulldozers seen recently in park clearing land

   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 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."