CPB chief says administration not building a 30-foot wall at Big Bend National Park

The Trump administration is working on roadway construction and “limited” barriers at Big Bend National Park, but not a 30-foot wall, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Thursday.

Backlash over construction activity at the national park, which shares 118 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border along the winding Rio Grande, prompted Mr. Scott’s to say, “Let’s be clear about what is — and is not — happening there.”

“CBP is building one new access road, improving existing roads, installing detection technology, and placing vehicle barriers in limited, strategic locations,” he said in a statement. “We are NOT building a 30-foot wall or stadium lighting through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.”

Bulldozers broke ground in Texas’ historic national park last week, clearing native brush and vegetation near the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon to pave the way for patrol roads and vehicle barriers rather than a traditional wall. Social media picked up on the construction activity, prompting waves of condemnation and speculation.

Mr. Scott said that the online buzz is about “survey and design work — NOT construction of a wall through the park.”

“We are working to preserve the landscape and protect the access visitors and local businesses depend on,” Mr. Scott said.

Rather, this construction is a part of “the first step in securing our border” by assisting agents’ efforts to “detect illegal crossings, respond faster, and assist visitors in danger.”

Last October, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem issued an order waiving regulations and ensuring the “expeditious construction” of barriers and roads at Texas’ international border.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin issued a notice in May waiving 35 federal laws for the project at “an area of high illegal entry.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s sweeping environmental law waivers in the Big Bend region of Texas sparked fierce pushback and legal challenges from conservation groups, landowners and local officials.

“As we strengthen the border across the Southwest, we will not leave Big Bend as an opening for cartels to exploit by shifting their routes and tactics,” Mr. Scott said.

Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, urged Mr. Mullin in a Friday letter to hear directly from border sheriffs, county judges, private landowners and park advocates who have raised concerns about the Trump administration’s plans before additional construction moves forward.

“The requests from local officials and community leaders for coordination and communication appear very reasonable to me,” he wrote. “I would ask that you or your designees meet with Texas stakeholders directly to discuss their concerns before proceeding with any additional construction of physical barriers.”