Confused About Big Bend Area Border Wall Plans? Here’s Where Things Stand.
Seven former park superintendents say the border project would damage tourism and access, as DHS has already waived environmental laws in parts of the region.
- Seven former superintendents of Big Bend National Park sent Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin a letter Thursday, urging him not to waive federal environmental laws for planned border barriers, roads, and surveillance technology within the park.
- DHS awarded a $1.7 billion contract to an Albuquerque construction firm last week, continuing a pattern of waiving federal environmental laws to accelerate border wall construction across the Big Bend region.
- The former superintendents argue the park has a long track record of collaborating with border security agencies, contending officials can improve security at reasonable cost without waivers that would be "highly destructive."
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated its "top operational priorities are sites where illegal aliens regularly attempt to enter the United States," with infrastructure plans for areas adjacent to the park remaining in planning stages.
- As the public comment period closes today, Friday, May 22, local officials continue pressing CBP for transparency after months of receiving little information about the agency's shifting border wall plans.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Associated Press News
Confused about Big Bend area border wall plans? Here’s where things stand.
Since news first surfaced late last year that border walls could be built for the first time in the Big Bend region of West Texas, the story has been marked by shifting, unannounced changes to the plan and few clearly communicated details from the Trump administration.
Trump White House faces scrutiny over billion-dollar border wall contracts in Texas’ Big Bend region
This article is co-published with Big Bend Sentinel and ProPublica as part of an initiative to report on state and federal efforts to restrict local control. When Tommy Fisher set out to build a section of border wall in South Texas during the first Trump administration, the project quickly became ensnared in controversy. Experts raised […] The post Trump White House faces scrutiny over billion-dollar border wall contracts in Texas’ Big Bend reg…
Confused about Big Bend area border wall plans? Here's where things stand.
Since news first surfaced late last year that border walls could be built for the first time in the Big Bend region of West Texas, the story has been marked by shifting, unannounced changes and few clearly communicated details from the Trump administration.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has awarded its largest single contract to date for border wall construction; this covers a barrier segment that will run the entire length of Big Bend National Park and extend south into […]
Former Big Bend National Park superintendents express ‘grave concerns’ about Trump administration’s border plans
The former superintendents sent a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, describing the administration’s plan for new border barriers, roads and surveillance technology in the park as “unnecessary and highly destructive.” The group is urging Mullin not to bypass federal environmental laws for the project.
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