The Trump administration has initiated construction on a border wall expansion in the Big Bend region of west Texas, with work beginning this week in Hudspeth County near El Paso. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that installation of steel bollard fencing sections started on 15 September. The agency has been offering signing bonuses to landowners to secure permission for the 30-foot-tall barrier, aiming to avoid prolonged eminent domain disputes.
CBP’s efforts have encountered substantial resistance from local leaders, landowners, and advocacy groups. The No Big Bend Wall coalition reports that more than half of approximately 400 landowners with Rio Grande frontage properties have joined opposition efforts and plan to challenge the federal government’s eminent domain assertions. This fragmented ownership pattern has resulted in incomplete coverage, with isolated fence sections standing where landowners have refused permission, allowing passage around the barriers. Coalition communications director Clara Bensen characterized the construction approach as proceeding without a fully finalized plan, with CBP working on available land plots while awaiting resolution of disputed properties.
The project is funded through $46.5 billion allocated for border wall expansion in spending legislation passed the previous year. CBP’s “smart wall” initiative combines 30-foot fencing, vehicle barriers, patrol roads, and detection sensors. The Big Bend region has historically accounted for less than 2 percent of apprehensions for unauthorized border crossings, with crossings declining further since the current administration took office.
Plans to extend the wall into Big Bend National Park have drawn particularly intense backlash, including bipartisan criticism from Texas lawmakers and national conservation advocates. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott temporarily paused construction last month following public outcry over bulldozer activity for road construction. Former park superintendent Bob Krumenaker stated he planned to travel to Washington to urge lawmakers to protect the park, characterizing support for Big Bend preservation as nonpartisan.
Private landowners and environmental groups express concerns about property value impacts, river access obstruction, grazing operation disruption, and damage to millennia-old rock art in the region. The expansion would also affect Big Bend Ranch State Park, Black Gap wildlife management area, and Amistad National Recreation Area.
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