Customs and Border Safety is pausing building in Massive Bend Nationwide Park, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott mentioned in an X post on Monday.
Scott’s announcement comes amid a number of lawsuits which were filed to cease border wall-related building within the Texas nationwide park. CBP was constructing components of a “restricted” barrier within the park as an alternative of a 30-foot-wall as initially supposed.
“CBP is pausing all building exercise in Massive Bend Nationwide Park whereas I go to and conduct a private, on-the-ground analysis,” Scott mentioned. “CBP is firmly dedicated to defending America, and that features our nationwide treasures like Massive Bend Nationwide Park (BBNP). We all know the present and predictable nationwide safety threats, and they’re actual.”
A lady protests the plans by President Donald Trump’s administration to construct a bit of the border wall on the Massive Bend Nationwide Park in Examine Butte, Texas, August 15, 2026.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, wrote a letter to Secretary of Homeland Safety Markwayne Mullin concerning the building in early August.
“Just lately, a bipartisan group of Texas border sheriffs and county judges, personal landowners, and the Massive Bend Park advocates have raised important considerations about DHS’ proposed building of border obstacles in Massive Bend Nationwide Park and Massive Bend Ranch State Park,” Cornyn wrote.
He famous that many residents stay and work across the park are involved a wall would break the panorama, threaten native American websites and disrupt wildlife migration and hurt the native financial system.
Heavy equipment is seen on a state highway that leads into Massive Bend Nationwide Park in southern Texas, August 15, 2026.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Former Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem waived sure legal guidelines which allowed the development to get underway.
Final week, Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat, joined ABC Information Stay’s Kyra Phillips for his first TV interview about his federal lawsuit towards the Trump administration over proposed border obstacles in Massive Bend Nationwide Park.
Gutierrez mentioned final week that the undertaking threatens sacred land, archaeological websites and nationwide assets, and claimed crews have already clear-cut roughly two miles of land.
He questioned the necessity for obstacles within the distant space, referred to as the undertaking a waste of taxpayer cash and argued that the administration should observe legal guidelines defending nationwide parkland.
