Trump Administration Begins Border Wall Construction in West Texas Big Bend Region
Construction has started in a remote area facing significant opposition from landowners and environmental groups.
The Trump administration has begun constructing a border wall through a west Texas section of the Big Bend region, marking the first significant building effort in an area that has faced substantial opposition. This construction is part of a broader $46 billion initiative to install walls, barriers, roads, and technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, aiming to fulfill a key campaign promise by President Donald Trump.
Customs and Border Protection confirmed that border wall panel installation is underway in a 47-mile stretch of Hudspeth County within the Big Bend region. The agency also stated that the pace of wall construction across the entire U.S.-Mexico border has doubled, with an average of 12 miles of barriers being built per week. This is twice the rate previously cited by the agency's head.
The new construction is distinct from a separate border infrastructure project in Big Bend National Park, where construction was temporarily suspended to engage with opponents. In the broader Big Bend area, the administration has encountered resistance from landowners, environmental groups, business owners, and ranchers who argue that the region does not experience high levels of illegal immigration.
Despite the ongoing construction, activists have vowed to continue their opposition to border infrastructure projects throughout the region. Clara Benson, a co-founder of the No Big Bend Wall Coalition, stated that the organization has been receiving reports of supply trucks and contractor activity in the remote Rio Grande area. Even as panels are being installed, Benson affirmed that the coalition and other groups intend to persist in their fight against the wall-building plans.
"We will continue to fight for this land no matter what the outcome is. We will continue fighting to the end," Benson said. "You talk to people in west Texas and they say even if they put it up, we’ll fight for them to take it down. So this fight is not over."
Opposition to the wall project has been multifaceted, including lawsuits filed by landowners, ranchers, and business owners in the Big Bend region. Environmental groups, a small town concerned about potential flooding, and Native American tribes asserting that construction is disturbing sacred sites have also voiced their objections. Many landowners have refused to grant government officials or contractors access to their property for surveying purposes.