The Trump administration has temporarily halted the controversial construction activity taking place in Big Bend National Park in Texas, after both Republicans and Democrats lambasted the plans to build a border barrier there.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott revealed on Monday that he paused all construction activity within the park until he can do a personal evaluation of the situation.
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Videos circulating on social media in recent days have shown bulldozers and other construction equipment clearing brush and trees in the park, sparking backlash from environmentalists, conservationists, and conservatives.
“CBP is firmly committed to protecting America, and that includes our national treasures like Big Bend National Park (BBNP),” Scott said on X.
“We know the current and predictable national security threats and they are real,” he added. “Now over the next couple of days, I will join a small team to evaluate the terrain and listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders to ensure that we secure our borders while simultaneously protecting BBNP for generations to come.”
Conservation organizations, including the Republican-leaning American Conservation Coalition, quickly celebrated the pause.
“This is a HUGE win,” the group said on X. “Proud to have played a part in advocating for the protection of Big Bend National Park. Even more grateful to see our concerns heard and this important pause put in place.”
Big Bend National Park stretches around 800,000 acres in Texas, featuring stunning landscapes, canyons, and desert mountains, and is home to hundreds of species of reptiles, mammals, birds, and plants.
Sea fossils and dinosaur bones have also been found in the national park, which contains more than 500 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Trump administration is spending roughly $1.7 billion to increase border security in the region. This includes the construction of several miles worth of vehicle barriers, surveillance cameras, lights, sensors, and a new patrol road.
The administration originally planned to erect a 30-foot wall in the park, though those plans were quietly changed after local objections.
Still, the current construction plans have faced sharp criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, who have expressed concerns that the border security infrastructure will ruin the beauty of the park, disrupt wildlife migration, threaten Native American sites, limit access to certain areas, and harm the local economy.
One local sheriff, a Republican, has questioned whether the extent of the construction and clearing of the desert land so far has been at all necessary.
“I believe in border security 100%,” Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland told Fox San Antonio. “Believe in even installation of barriers where they’re needed. But I can tell you that specific area … even just what they’ve done, unnecessary.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month, urging him to meet with local stakeholders before any further construction.
So far, Mullin has waived dozens of federal and state requirements to allow the construction activities, including requirements under the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The border protection project is facing a number of lawsuits from environmental and conservation groups. The most recent suit was filed last week by a tribal nonprofit organization, which claims the project violates U.S. law and threatens protected religious freedoms.
BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ARRIVE AT BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK DESPITE LOCAL PUSHBACK
While the administration has argued that the project is necessary for border security, illegal border crossings in the national park have significantly fallen in recent years.
CBP data reviewed by the Washington Examiner show that crossings in the Big Bend Sector have made up the smallest amount recorded in the Southwest region so far this fiscal year.
