Trump admin begins border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend, just weeks before the midterms

WASHINGTON, DC: The Trump administration has begun installing border wall panels in Texas’s Big Bend region, marking the first major construction in an area where the project has faced strong opposition from local landowners, ranchers and environmental groups.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said construction began this week along a 47-mile stretch of Hudspeth County known as Big Bend 1, with 30-foot steel panels being installed. The work is part of the administration’s broader plan to expand barriers and other infrastructure along the US-Mexico border.

CBP begins installing 30-foot border wall panels

Customs and Border Protection said “border wall panel installation is underway” in the Big Bend 1 project area. The agency said the first panels were erected on September 15, and a photograph posted to its website showed a crane lifting one of the 30-foot-tall steel panels into position as construction workers stood nearby.

The Big Bend region encompasses roughly 500 miles along the Rio Grande, stretching from Hudspeth County south of El Paso toward Lake Amistad. CBP has identified five project areas in the region, with Big Bend 1 covering the 47-mile section where construction is now underway.

The project is separate from construction activity near Big Bend National Park, where the administration has temporarily suspended work while seeking additional engagement with opponents. CBP has also said it does not plan to construct a wall inside Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.

A federal judge has paused work on Big Bend projects 2 and 4 until the end of September to allow for additional public engagement. The construction is part of a broader $46 billion administration plan to build walls, vehicle barriers, patrol roads and technology along the southern border.

CBP has said it is now constructing an average of 12 miles of barriers each week along the approximately 2,000-mile US-Mexico border, roughly twice the pace previously cited by the agency’s head, Rodney Scott. The agency recently said it had reached 200 miles of new barriers since President Donald Trump returned to office. The project has also picked up pace just weeks before the midterms in November.

Local opposition continues as Big Bend construction moves forward

The Big Bend projects have faced continued resistance from landowners, ranchers, business owners and environmental groups. Opponents have raised concerns about property rights, the region’s landscape and the potential economic effects on communities connected to tourism and Big Bend National Park.

In March, sheriffs from five West Texas counties sent a bipartisan letter to federal and state officials opposing the proposed wall in the region. Texas Sen. John Cornyn has also urged federal officials to meet with local stakeholders about the projects. Opposition has also extended to legal action.

Landowners, ranchers, business owners and a nonprofit focused on protecting the region’s landscape and heritage also filed a lawsuit earlier this week seeking to stop the administration’s plans. Activists and landowners have additionally attended county meetings and, in some cases, refused government officials and contractors access to their properties for surveying.