Forty-four Texas state lawmakers from both parties sent a letter Thursday to Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he use every avenue available to pressure the Department of Homeland Security to stop demolition and border barrier construction at Big Bend National Park.
The park sits along the bend of the Rio Grande in southwest Texas, bordered by mountain ranges, river canyons and desert terrain. Lawmakers argued that the geography itself functions as a natural deterrent—the mountains, cliffsides and extreme climate already serve as what they called a "God-given border barrier."
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott pushed back the same day the letter went public, saying the agency is not building a 30-foot wall through the park. "CBP is building one new access road, improving existing roads, installing detection technology, and placing vehicle barriers in limited, strategic locations," Scott said. "We are NOT building a 30-foot wall or stadium lighting through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area."
Scott said the equipment and crews that lawmakers described as "bulldozers and construction equipment" entering the park are conducting survey and design work, not wall construction. He added the barriers and roads will help agents detect illegal crossings faster and respond to park visitors in distress.
The 44 signatories said the administration is proceeding in a way that is not "effective, fiscally responsible, and respectful of the communities and landscapes we are sworn to protect." The letter argued drones, radar and other available technology are sufficient to monitor the Big Bend sector without physical barriers, which lawmakers called long recognized as unnecessary in that terrain.
State Rep. Eddie Morales Jr. a Democrat, was among the most direct critics. Morales said there is "simply no need to spend upwards of $7 billion on shady no-bid contracts" in a region that accounts for less than one percent of total border crossings. The $7 billion figure he cited refers to contracting costs Morales associates with the broader construction push in the area.
Morales said in a written statement: "Texas does not, and should not, bend the knee to the will of the federal government. Texas leaders swore an oath to protect our state, our land, and our communities—it is imperative that oath is upheld to protect this region for future generations of Texans to cherish."
The bipartisan composition of the letter is notable. Texas Republicans have largely backed the Trump administration's aggressive border enforcement posture since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, making any GOP signatures on a letter opposing a DHS construction project a departure from that pattern. Abbott's office had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday.
The standoff puts Abbott in a tight position. He has made border security the centerpiece of his governorship and deployed billions in state funds through Operation Lone Star to supplement federal enforcement. Siding with the lawmakers would put him at odds with the Trump administration he has closely aligned with. Staying silent risks alienating a bipartisan bloc of legislators who represent communities adjacent to the park.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas also raised concerns about the construction in the national park, adding a prominent Republican voice to the pressure on the administration, though Cornyn stopped short of the lawmakers' demand for an immediate halt.
The dispute turns in part on what exactly is being built. Scott's statement draws a sharp line between a physical wall and what CBP describes as roads, detection technology and vehicle barriers in limited locations. Lawmakers did not accept that distinction, arguing the construction footprint itself damages terrain that the federal government has protected as a national park.
Big Bend received roughly 574,000 visitors in 2024, making it one of the less trafficked national parks by volume but one of the most ecologically distinctive sites along the entire southern border. The park's remoteness is both the reason illegal crossings there remain a small share of total apprehensions and the reason construction access requires the roads CBP says it is building.
