The Department of Homeland Security has granted billions of dollars in contracts for a series of “smart walls”—a combination of steel bollard walls, detection sensors, lights, cameras and patrol roads—along the Texas border. The efforts to install these walls in the Big Bend has created a backlash. Read all the stories here.
September 18
11:30 a.m.
First Big Bend wall segment is built
Marfa Public Radio’s Travis Bubenik reports on what anti-wall activists photographed this week–a first segment of a steel bollard wall erected in Hudspeth County, a project area not covered by the current pause in construction. Read the story here.
September 11
4 p.m.
Jeff Davis commissioners schedule Monday meeting for comment on road-use agreement
FORT DAVIS — The Jeff Davis County Commissioners Court will hold a special meeting Monday at 6 p.m. to hear public comment on a proposed road-use agreement with Barnard Construction, which is seeking permission for upgrades to Chispa Road to facilitate trucks and heavy equipment for border wall construction.
Commissioners tabled the item at a Tuesday meeting because they wanted to give members of the public who can’t attend morning meetings an opportunity to comment. Additionally, the current draft of the proposed agreement was not available until the end of the day on Friday, leaving many people in the dark as to what the agreement states. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of the contractor to provide specifics on intended road improvements as well as meeting other guidelines for road construction and work. The county has now posted the latest version on its website.
For more background on the issue, see Tuesday’s story.
September 11
Noon
Landowners set for legal announcement regarding border wall on Monday
Conserve Big Bend, the umbrella nonprofit behind the No Big Bend Wall initiative, set a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Presidio County Courthouse in Marfa to “announce a significant legal development in the ongoing effort to stop border wall and infrastructure construction across the greater Big Bend region.”
According to a news release, Conserve Big Bend coordinates with over 200 directly impacted landowners in the Big Bend region, where approximately 65% of the 609 miles of “Big Bend Projects” is private property. Landowners in Hudspeth, Presidio, Brewster, Terrell and Val Verde counties face a patchwork of border barrier plans, including 30-foot steel wall, vehicle barriers, patrol roads and detection technology.
Press conference organizers encourage the public to attend
August 31
8 p.m.
El Paso
The federal court hearing and rally previously scheduled for Thursday in El Paso regarding border infrastructure construction in Big Bend National Park have been cancelled. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone was originally set to hear testimony and review evidence on a request for a preliminary injunction, but those proceedings and the accompanying public events will no longer take place.
The request for the injunction had been brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church, and a Big Bend area landowner — the same plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional waiver of dozens of laws to fast-track border barrier construction in the region.
Supporters who had planned to gather outside the courthouse for a noon rally before the hearing should note that the event is officially cancelled.
August 28
5 p.m.
Border construction paused for 2 more weeks
Border wall construction has been paused for two more weeks. The halt came following an evidentiary hearing on the lawsuit between the Department of Homeland Security and The People of La Junta for Preservation, the Far Flung Outdoor Center and Andrew Austin.
The lawsuit accused the Department of Homeland Security of acting contrary to law by failing to act under the direction of congressional authority, which has been tasked with protecting Big Bend National Park, and threatening constitutionally protected religious freedoms. The Big Bend region has been inhabited for thousands of years, with numerous sites sacred to the Lipan and Apache tribes along the border and the Rio Grande.
“Once an archaeological site is excavated by heavy machinery, once the physical context of artifacts is destroyed, or once a sacred or culturally significant landscape is permanently altered, the injury is irreparable,” said the lawsuit, filed in San Antonio federal court on August 14.
Judge Orlando L. Garcia of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, asked questions about whether the Department of Homeland Security had the authority to build barriers and whether barriers were needed in rugged terrain in a border sector that sees less than 1% of the national crossings.
Attorneys for the government argued that there is no finalized plan and that construction is not occurring in the Big Bend region, only surveys. This claim is in defiance of the heavy equipment working in the national park, the billions of dollars in assigned construction contracts, and the construction setup site being built in Terlingua, which refers all questions about their doings to the federal government. Customs and Border Patrol could not be immediately reached for comment.
“We want the government to act right and give these people notice and due process, which they certainly deserve,” said Roland Gutierrez, a state senator and lawyer involved with the suit, at a press conference following the hearing. The border wall construction has been plagued by a lack of transparency and shifting plans since it was first reported in February.
According to reporting by Bloomberg, the two-week pause in construction is meant to enable discussion between the parties on the scope of work that is expected, whether current technology is sufficient, and its impact on the local communities. Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott called for a pause in construction on August 17, following national outcry watching construction in the park. A judgement on a temporary restraining order against the border construction is expected within the next few days, according to lawyers present in San Antonio.
“The fight is not over.” said attorney Dick DeGuerin, the other primary counsel for La Junta, at the press conference. “We have an absolute commitment that there will be no wall in Big Bend National Park. The rest of the area is still part of our fight, and we’re going to continue that fight.” — Kate. Bubecz.
Augusts 27
Noon
No action taken on wall contractor road-use agreement
Fort Davis
No action was taken on the road-use agreement between Barnard Construction and Jeff Davis County at the commissioners court meeting on August 25. Representatives for Barnard Construction were not present, and no usage agreement was presented, resulting in no action taken.
Barnard Construction, a contractor for the Trump administration’s wall construction, was asked to outline what the contractor’s requirements would be to work on Chispa Road. The road has become a point of tension as it offers a key pathway for wall construction to the Rio Grande. Heavy equipment from Barnard was rolled onto the road on March 31 and the company started road work without notifying the county, which prompted the county judge and a commissioner to demand the work stop, which it did.
The agreement would require Barnard to create a road plan of all changes and improvements requiring the support of the county before any construction could commence. The document also outlines protections for private landowners who may be impacted by widened roads and includes technical requirements like weight limits on vehicles and loads. It requires a $3 million performance bond paid to the county that could be used to cover any damages caused by Barnard.
County Judge Curtis Evans and Commissioner Roy Hurley are in favor of finalizing an agreement, arguing that it will protect the county from paying for possible damage on Chispa Road. Commissioner Albert Miller has voiced reservations, as have local residents and activists. The majority of the road is in Presidio County, which has discussed the possibility of a similar agreement, although nothing has publicly progressed. — Kate Bubecz.
August 18
9 a.m.
Katy Padilla Stout Calls on DHS to commit to permanent cessation of border wall construction
Democratic nominee for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District Katy Padilla Stout today called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to permanently cease construction of an unnecessary border wall in the Big Bend region.
Amid mounting pressure from the public, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott recently announced a temporary pause of border wall construction in the Big Bend region.
“The U.S. government shouldn’t spend another dime on this wasteful project which only serves to destroy a Texas treasure and to line the pockets of President Trump’s campaign donor.” said Padilla Stout in a news release. “The $1.7 billion currently allocated for this project would be better spent by investing in education or by providing much needed relief to the working Texans who are struggling in this economy.”
While Padilla Stout welcomes the “pause” in construction activities, she emphasized the need to make the pause permanent.
“For months, the people of the Big Bend region have been left in the dark by the Trump DHS and our state Republican leaders,” Padilla Stout said. “Now that those Republican leaders are feeling the pressure of their constituents, they are back peddling on this disastrous plan.”
August 17
9 a.m.
Native American groups sue to block Big Bend construction
A nonprofit group that aims to protect Native American historical sites filed suit in federal court to block the Trump administration’s border security construction in Big Bend National Park, the Houston Chronicle reported. The suit claims the Department of Homeland Security does not have authority under federal law to build in national parks and seeks an injunction to stop construction and demolition work.
Construction equipment arrived at the park a few weeks ago to build new patrol roads and vehicle barriers, sparking strong opposition from park supporters and area residents. More than 40 Texas state House members, both Democrats and Republicans, have signed a letter asking Gov. Greg Abbott to halt demolition and construction in Big Bend.
“We support securing our border and recognize our duty to protect Texans. However, it is essential that border security policy be pursued in a manner that is effective, fiscally responsible, and respectful of the communities and landscapes we are sworn to protect,” the letter read.
August 4
1 p.m.
On Sunday, a federal judge denied an attempt by the Presidio Municipal Development District to stop wall construction near the city that could lead to catastrophic flooding. As Marfa Public Radio reported, the judge said the federal government could “bypass” the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which the PMDD claimed should be a basis for at least temporarily stopping construction.
August 4
10 a.m.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has opened up public comments on proposed wall cconstruction for “BBT-5” in Brewster, Terrell and Val Verde counties.
CBP’s project description includes: “Construction and maintenance of 157 miles of non-contiguous border barrier system in Brewster, Terrell, and Val Verde Counties, Texas. Barrier system includes a physical barrier, road, and barrier system attributes. The barrier system for this project will utilize vehicle barrier rather than bollard-style pedestrian barrier. The vehicle barrier will feature steel posts supported by continuous steel rails, with alternating rail heights of approximately 4 and 6 feet, and rails spaced about 4 feet apart. Barrier system attributes may include, as appropriate to U.S. Border Patrol’s operational needs, fiber optic cables, utility poles, power cables, surveillance cameras, access and patrol roads and utility shelters along the international border.”
CBP will accept comment through August 31 at BigBendComments@cbp.dhs.gov. Include “Big Bend Vehicle Border Barrier System Construction” in the subject of your email. Comments received in response to this letter, including names and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the public record.
Comments may also be submitted to CBP by calling (833) 412-2056 or by mailing the following address:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters
Program Management Office Directorate
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. 6.5E Mail Stop 1039
Washington, DC 20229-1100
ATTN: Michelle Barnes
July 21
11 a.m.
Presidio County commissioners will meet Wednesday with a discussion item “regarding the establishment of a special road use permitting procedure on county roads.”
The item involves Barnard Construction’s attempt to improve Chispa Road to transport border wall materials and equipment down to the Rio Grande. Those efforts were thwarted, at least temporarily, by Jeff Davis and Presidio counties’ officials telling the company it was not authorized to work on the public road. (Chispa, a rough unpaved road, starts in Jeff Davis County then continues on in Presidio County toward the border.)
Hudspeth County commissioners recently approved a “Road Use and Improvement Agreement” with Barnard that provides a detailed plan and requirements for road upgrades. The 54-page agreement includes detailed maps and cross sections for improvements, mostly on Indian Host Springs Road.
Presidio County Judge Joe Portillo, who could not be reached for comment, placed the item on the agenda. County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler said that move was premature, because she has requested that Barnard come to the county with surveys and more detailed plans on what it proposes, but it has failed to do so. “I think it’s putting the cart before the horse,” she said.
Hisler also stressed that the court has passed a resolution against the border wall, so any action it takes to facilitate wall construction would be counter to the county’s official position. — Rob D’Amico
July 3, 2026
Noon
Ruidosa rancher decides to work with wall contractor
By Rob D’Amico
In the debate over the border wall, Ruidosa rancher Lupe Ortiz makes a key distinction. There’s the federal government that wants a wall. And there are contractors doing the work for the wall. Although these contractors are working for companies making billions of dollars on the Department Homeland Security’s push to build the wall, they are just the little guy, Ortiz said, and they don’t deserve the punishment they are facing from anti-wall activists on the dusty roads leading to the border.
“They don’t deserve to get cursed at,” Ortiz said. “They’re just doing their job.” In response to that distinction, Ortiz last week agreed to allow Barnard Construction (a major wall contractor) to pretty much do whatever it wants with leases on his expansive land outside of Ruidosa. Ortiz said he is a former contractor for federal projects and wants to pursue a cooperative arrangement with the current work crews.
Ruidosa is a small community 36 miles west of Presidio, with only about a dozen residents left in the area.
Ortiz said he’s not sure if Barnard will use his land for hosting workers, or for staging equipment or water, since nothing has been set in stone with their agreement. But in addition to his ranch site just east of Ruidosa, he said he and partners own about 27 miles of riverfront property in total — including several miles toward Candelaria. He said he hasn’t received any paperwork from the Army Corps of Engineers asking for access to the land for a wall. With 300 head of cattle who need grazing and water access to the river, Ortiz said he has many questions yet to be answered about the wall.
July 2, 2026
4 p.m.
Today, a must read from Marfa Public Radio: Hudspeth County officials approve border wall contractor’s use of county roads, Read…
May 21, 2026
1 p.m.
Former National Park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker—and six former superintendents—sent an open letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin today urging the DHS “to reject the waiver of federal laws that would allow physical barriers and roads, as well as related border security infrastructure, to be built inside the park in the absence of environmental or cultural compliance or public involvement.”
Marfa Public Radio reports more on the letter.
May 14, 2026
3 p.m.
The largest border wall contract in US history to date was just awarded for $1.7 billion and includes Big Bend National Park. A firm based in Albuquerque, NM will build a mix of border barrier infrastructure from just downstream of the Big Hill in Big Bend Ranch State Park into the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. There is no documentation posted on what the money is for. (Big Bend Sentinal has done numerous Freedom Information Act request for multiple contracts with no reply yet from the Department of Homeland Security)
Full story and more details to come in this week’s Sentinel.
May 14, 2026
4:20 p.m.
The Culberson County Groundwater Conservation District Board met today to again consider whether it should allow Pecan Grove Farms to draw its well water to supply a 500-person man camp near Lobo, south of Van Horn, to work on the border wall. The board would have to do a “waiver” that would allow for a well permitted for agricultural use to use it for public water supply to RVs for the man camp.
Although the man camp would use a fraction of the water used by the pecan farm–and the farm has a vast surplus of water available under its permit–area residents are concerned about other intensive water users coming to the area and asking for the same concessions. Other concerns are the ongoing construction impacts–already felt with huge dust clouds–traffic and the safety for families and children with 500 workers in the area.
The district board tabled the item, as it did at its last meeting. However, it approved a motion to ask the contractors behind the man camp to provide all the TCEQ documentation it is seeking to be allowed to do a public water supply, as well as any sewage permits needed. We’ll have more coverage of this tomorrow morning.
While the Ex
May 14, 2026
2 p.m.
The DHS/CBP smart wall map has reappeared after it disappeared in late April. The map now includes road construction and vehicle barriers in Big Bend National Park.
April 23, 2026
8 p.m.
If you read our last update below from Tuesday, you might have been scratching your had about changes to the DHS smart wall map. Well, now, that map has disappeared.
April 23, 2026
Noon
Stay tuned for new out of Culberson County, where it appears that a local pecan farmer is asking the local underground water conservation district for a waiver to no only draw agriculture-related water, but to also supply water to a local border-wall man camp.
April 21, 2026
4 p.m.
The Department of Homeland Security smart wall map changed today to reflect a change on its last portrayal that there would be “detection only” infrastructure in Big Bend National Park. The last change, after several in the past, shows a change in nomenclature to “technology & patrol roads” and the addition of “vehicle barrier systems,” which are wall-like metal structures to impede vehicular traffic.
As in the past, there has been no clarification fro DHS as to what exactly these barriers will be and how the patrol roads will be built or managed.
April 16, 2026
1 p.m.
BORDER WALL LAWSUIT: While the center previously filed a lawsuit over open records, this one focuses on constitutional issues. We’ll be covering this more in the coming days.
Read the full release. Partial release from the center:
TERLINGUA, Texas— The Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church, and a Big Bend-area river guide and landowner sued the Department of Homeland Security today for unconstitutionally waiving dozens of laws to fast-track border wall construction through the Big Bend region of Texas. The lawsuit argues the department is exercising powers Congress never authorized.
“The Department of Homeland Security has unconstitutionally gutted our nation’s bedrock environmental laws to build a wildlife-killing wall that would permanently lock away the Rio Grande,” said Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is straight out of the playbook they used in Arizona, where federal contractors blew up sacred Indigenous sites, bulldozed canyon walls and drained precious aquifers to build border walls. They’re trying to slam an iron curtain through the Big Bend region, gouging a wound that will never heal into one of America’s most beautiful wild places.”
Today’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Texas, argues the federal government violated several constitutional provisions, including the major questions doctrine, which requires clear congressional approval for actions with vast economic and political consequences.
Today’s lawsuit also challenges Homeland Security’s claim that the Big Bend Sector is an “area of high illegal entry,” noting that it has the lowest number of crossings along the southern border and historically low apprehensions. The sector covers roughly a quarter of the border but accounts for just 1.3% of all Southwest border apprehensions.
April 10, 2026
1:30 p.m.
The Presidio County Commissioners Court met Wednesday and discussed various issues around allowing road construction/improvements by wall contractors on Chispas Road, a county road in a remote area that winds down from Highway 90 (West of Valentine) to the border. Since contractors did not plan to attend to answer questions, the court took no action. Similarly, Jeff Davis county commissioners met on Thursday and tabled their action item on the same issue. Dozens of wall protestors attended both meetings. Stay tuned for a full story update.
April 4, 2026
Noon
Here’s a must-read from Sam Karas in Texas Monthly on her life on the river and what a wall would mean to her. Here’s a link with no paywall for 14 days, after which here is the standard link.
April 4, 2026
11:30 a.m.
Jeff Davis County has posted its agenda for a Thursday, April 9, special Commissioners Court meeting to discuss whether it should allow contractors to work on Chispa Road, a county road. The agenda item states: “Discuss and take desired action to approve a gift from Barnard Construction to reconstruct Chispa road from FM2017 to the Jeff Davis County and Presidio County Line.” The contractors are intending to make improvements to the road to allow access for heavy equipment building a border wall.
April 4, 2026
10:30 a.m.
Border wall protesters are gathering at the Capitol in Austin today to send a message to Gov. Greg Abbott telling him to put pressure on the federal government to stop the wall. Other protesters are gathering for a “picnic” at Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park.
April 3, 2026
5 p.m.
Big Bend Sentinel’s Sam Karas joined KXAN TV in Austin for a discussion on the latest news and preview of Saturday’s protest rallies.
April 2, 2026
10 a.m.
Presidio and Jeff Davis county commissioners will meet next week (Presidio on April 8 and Jeff Davis on April 9) to discuss the surprise work being done on Chispa Road by border wall contractors. Officials with both counties were blindsided by social media posts Tuesday that showed heavy equipment working on the road—which traverses both counties—and contractors telling people that they were improving the road for 50 mph traffic to the border to facilitate wall construction. That road includes county roads, which are under the control of commissioners courts. (See Contractors begin work on Chispa Rd. to facilitate border wall construction)
The Jeff Davis meeting agenda has not yet been published. One Presidio agenda item states: “Discussion and action to approve a resolution and order establishing a procedure and requirements for permitting special road use of county roads.”
Presidio County Attorney Blair Park said the item would establish a procedure to deal with special uses of county roads, which she is modeling after other counties that have heavy oilfield equipment traffic. However, she noted that in those instances it didn’t involve any changes to the actual roads. Park added that a key question for the contractors will be if they intend to widen the road to a width that would go on to private property, at which point each landowner would have to dedicate that property—which could be an extremely long process.
Presidio County Commissioner Deirdre Hisler added an agenda item that states: “Presentation, discussion with action to approve the use/modification/reconstruction by Federal Contractors on Presidio County Roads.” Hisler said this would be a formal action for commissioners to approve or deny the county road use and construction by contractors, which would require details on what they intend to do. She requested that the primary contractor, Barnard Construction, have its field manager, David Spencer, attend to answer questions.
Hisler said Spencer told her he was given assurances by the Department of Homeland Security that all agreements were in place for the road upgrades, something the commissioner said was impossible since the counties weren’t informed.
Jeff Davis County Commissioner Albert Miller said yesterday that he and County Judge Curtis Evans rode out to the Chispa Road site and asked the contractors to halt their work, which they agreed to do. When contacted this morning, Hisler was on her way to the site to see if the work was still stopped.
April 1, 2026
8 p.m.
Big Bend Sector Border Patrol Chief Lloyd Easterling retired this week. Easterling had recently engaged with local elected officials for discussions on the border wall and broke the news to one official that no steel walls would be built in Big Bend Ranch State Park. (See CBP Chief: State park nixed from plans for steel walls)
In a written statement, a sector spokesperson said: “U.S. Border Patrol Big Bend Sector Chief Patrol Agent Lloyd Easterling retired March 31. This was a planned retirement, and his retirement ceremony was held at sector headquarters in Marfa, Texas. CBP is grateful for Chief Easterling’s faithful service to the nation.”
