Trump administration temporarily halts contested border project in Big Bend National Park

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) chief Rodney Scott announced that all construction activity in Big Bend National Park in southern Texas has been temporarily paused while he spends a few days visiting the area, meeting with local leadership, community members and stakeholders. CBP has not disclosed how long the pause will last or with whom exactly Scott will be meeting.

The border project running through the national park has drawn fierce criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Opponents argue that the region's rugged, remote terrain already acts as a natural deterrent to migrants and smugglers, noting that border crossings there have historically been lower than elsewhere and have declined further over the past two years.

Congress allocated $46 billion last summer for wall construction stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the administration has moved quickly, waiving numerous regulations along the way. Scott has said he expects the wall's first layer to be completed by the end of next year. Still, the administration has faced particularly strong resistance in the Big Bend area — earlier this year it dropped plans for a 30-foot bollard wall through the park but continued other measures, including a new road, lighting, vehicle barriers and buried fibre-optic technology.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson raised concerns about potential damage to archaeological sites and Native American burial grounds from the planned road. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin assured him during a weekend call that no wall or barriers would be built in the park, though he made no mention of the road project.

Environmental advocates expressed cautious optimism about the pause but warned construction could resume at any time, and said they would keep pressing for cancelled contracts and a full end to wall plans in the wider Big Bend region.