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Lawsuit seeks to stop CBP bulldozing in Big Bend

8/15/2026

22 1 Full Breakdown

Summary

Trump Starts Border Road

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began building 200 miles of roads and barriers in Big Bend National Park, Texas, for a $47 billion border project.
Bulldozers cleared and leveled a mile of road near Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande.
The administration’s “smart wall” pairs barriers with patrol roads, surveillance and a planned 700 miles of primary wall across all four border states despite outcry.

Summary

La Junta Sues

People of La Junta for Preservation filed a federal lawsuit on Friday to block CBP bulldozing in Big Bend National Park, saying it would substantially burden Lipan Apache religious practices.
The Far Flung Outdoor Center, a Terlingua river outfitter, says the border construction will reduce river access and tourism, harming its business.
Democratic State Sen. Roland Gutierrez and trial lawyer Dick DeGuerin represent the plaintiffs.

History

Historical Context

In 1994 President Bill Clinton initiated Operation Gatekeeper, installing 14 miles of corrugated-steel fencing and dramatically expanding U.S. Border Patrol resources along the San Diego corridor. The program’s intensified enforcement forced migrants into more hazardous terrain, contributing to thousands of deaths and shaping ongoing federal policy debates over current national border construction proposals.

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Trump Starts Border Road

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began building 200 miles of roads and barriers in Big Bend National Park, Texas, for a $47 billion border project.
Bulldozers cleared and leveled a mile of road near Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande.
The administration’s “smart wall” pairs barriers with patrol roads, surveillance and a planned 700 miles of primary wall across all four border states despite outcry.

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