Story perspectives

$1.7B Big Bend Patrol Roads Planned After DHS Waivers

8/15/2026

Center

Contractors Design Barriers

In mid-August 2026, federal contractors began surveying and designing border-security infrastructure inside Texas’s Big Bend National Park.
Customs and Border Protection said illegal crossings in the Big Bend sector hit a 2025 low, framing the work as improving detection and visitor safety.
The $1.7 billion plan replaces a proposed 30-foot wall with roads, barriers and surveillance.
Senator John Cornyn warned the barrier could damage scenery, wildlife, sites, access and tourism.

Left

Contractors Survey Border

In mid-August 2026, federal contractors began surveying and designing border-security infrastructure inside Texas’s Big Bend National Park.
The Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of environmental and cultural protection statutes, sparking lawsuits and widespread public criticism.
Activists filmed bulldozers clearing land at the heavily visited mouth of Santa Elena Canyon.
Southwest Valley Contractors of New Mexico secured a $1.7 billion May contract to build patrol roads.

History

Historical Context

The Secure Fence Act, signed by President George W. Bush on October 26 2006, authorized 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.–Mexico border and earmarked about $1.4 billion. Congress later funded roughly $1.2 billion, and by 2009 DHS had installed over 600 miles of barrier. The 2026 $1.7 billion Big Bend project, led by Southwest Valley Contractors, invokes the same waiver authority, raising concerns that repeated exemptions could erode protected lands.

1 of 3

Contractors Design Barriers

In mid-August 2026, federal contractors began surveying and designing border-security infrastructure inside Texas’s Big Bend National Park.
Customs and Border Protection said illegal crossings in the Big Bend sector hit a 2025 low, framing the work as improving detection and visitor safety.
The $1.7 billion plan replaces a proposed 30-foot wall with roads, barriers and surveillance.
Senator John Cornyn warned the barrier could damage scenery, wildlife, sites, access and tourism.

1 / 3