If you have been following US Border News’ coverage of the battle over building “border barriers” and “patrol roads” through the Big Bend in far (remote) West Texas, you know that bipartisan opposition is centered around the locals’ contention that the Federal Government’s plans are unnecessary and amount to a multi-billion-dollar grift that will benefit a large out-of-state GOP political donor.
The opposition prompted US Customs & Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott to announce a construction pause shortly after traveling to Texas from Washington, DC to meet with local Texas officials on Tuesday, August 18, 2026:
US Customs & Border Protection (CBP), along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), insists that these construction projects not be called a “Border Wall,” but the ongoing build-outs have evolved into what Texas Monthly magazine has called “an act of mindless zealotry.”
The area is not just considered a “wild” part of Texas, but one of the last “dark skies” portions of the lower 48 states where astronomers can view stars and planets through their telescopes:
Robert Reich - who worked in the Presidential Administrations of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, decried the Big Bend Border Barrier construction (as have others in West Texas) as “a grift.”
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott’s Big Bend Fact-finding mission is expected to continue on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
One GOP Texas State Representative (Wes Virdell of Brady, Texas) is on record as predicting this issue could produce a backlash against Republicans during the midterm elections if the party does not oppose the project.
UPDATE: The Big Bend Reporter has published details of CBP Commissioner’s fact-finding tour on Wednesday: According to the publication, Commissioner Scott boarded a helicopter for a tour of the park before landing “at the Santa Elena Canyon overlook, where he met with a group of people for about an hour.”
The outlet said, “Scott then traveled by vehicle from the overlook to the entrance of Santa Elena Canyon. Scott and those accompanying him remained in the canyon area for about 90 minutes before leaving.”
The Big Bend Reporter also said that “The helicopter later departed the area and flew upriver through Santa Elena Canyon toward Lajitas.”
Whether his tour will result in changes to DHS constriction plans in the Big Bend remains to be seen.
Do you support construction of “Border Barriers” in the Big Bend National Park area of West Texas?
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Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Hmm, Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were against this portion of the wall? Sounds like they were paid off to oppose the wall.