Key facts
- The Trump administration has waived federal environmental laws for border infrastructure projects in the Big Bend region.
- The waiver covers over 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, including areas within Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
- The project, "Big Bend 4," involves vehicle barriers, surveillance technology, and patrol road upgrades.
- This is a revision of a previous waiver due to an incorrect description of the affected area.
- Park advocates are strongly opposing the waiver, citing environmental concerns and potential damage to the parks.
The Trump administration has again waived federal environmental laws to expedite border barrier construction, this time impacting areas within and around Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park in West Texas. A preliminary federal notice indicates the waiver covers over 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin stated the waiver is necessary for the "expeditious construction of barriers and roads." While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asserts it will not build a 30-foot steel wall inside the parks, current plans for the "Big Bend 4" project include vehicle barriers, surveillance technology, and upgraded patrol roads.
This latest waiver revises a similar one issued in May, correcting GPS coordinates for the affected area. Park advocates, including former Superintendent Bob Krumenaker and Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, have strongly criticized the decision, citing potential environmental devastation and disregard for public sentiment. Krumenaker expressed concerns about new road building along the Rio Grande.
A CBP spokesperson stated the agency is coordinating with other departments and that plans for barriers, roads, and technology near the parks are still in the planning stages, with focus on higher priority locations. The waiver allows CBP to bypass numerous federal laws for the installation of fencing, barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors.
The development comes as CBP prepares to begin construction on a separate, approximately 175-mile steel border wall outside the parks within weeks. The Center for Biological Diversity has vowed to fight the new waiver, having previously sued the administration over an earlier waiver for the steel wall project.