Park conservation advocates are raising concerns this week after President Donald Trump’s administration signaled its intent to waive environmental regulations for border wall-related construction in far West Texas.
Marfa Public Radio first reported on DHS’s intent to waive the regulations on Feb. 13.
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The 175-mile border wall would run through the Big Bend region, including the namesake national and state parks, and through surrounding territories in the region, according to reporting from multiple West Texas news outlets.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to waive, in their entirety, 28 regulations to “ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads,” according to a filing with the Federal Register. The regulations include the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and more.
The Big Bend Sentinel, in a Feb. 18 report, described the "project area" as stretching from “an arroyo downstream of Fort Quitman outside of Sierra Blanca to about a half mile upstream from Closed Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park.”
On Tuesday, DHS announced that Parsons Government Services, a security construction company, would oversee and manage the completion of the border wall, which is expected in early 2028.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson told Marfa Public Radio the federal contracts fall under the Trump administration’s “Smart Wall” plan and could see construction begin “toward the end of the year.”
A physical border wall and “detection technology” are expected in the region, according to a CBP website describing the Smart Wall system.
In June 2025, the Texas Tribune reported only 8% of the wall had been built. That same month, the Texas Facilities Commission said 66.4 miles of border wall had been completed.
The Federal Register filing describes the Big Bend Sector as “an area of high illegal entry.” The Big Bend Sector reported nearly 4,000 apprehensions in Fiscal Year 2025, compared to 11,823 in Fiscal Year 2023, a December 2025 CBP news release said.
A DHS spokesperson did not return repeated KSAT emails asking why it was seeking to waive the regulations.
‘Big Bend is no place for a border wall’
Following reports on DHS’s plans, the National Parks Conservation Association issued a statement from the organization’s regional director.
“Building a border wall through Big Bend National Park would choke off vital wildlife migration routes, intensify flooding risks, and inflict irreparable damage to one of our country’s most iconic national parks,” said Cary Dupuy, the group’s Texas regional director. “Big Bend is no place for a border wall.”
Dupuy called the expanded construction “devastating” for the region’s deeply connected landscape. You can read Dupuy’s full statement below.
“Building a border wall through Big Bend National Park would choke off vital wildlife migration routes, intensify flooding risks, and inflict irreparable damage to one of our country’s most iconic national parks. Big Bend is a staggeringly beautiful, one-of-a-kind desert landscape that draws visitors from Texas and around the world. These visitors come to explore and enjoy the rugged beauty of the park from Santa Elena Canyon to uninterrupted vistas of the Chihuahuan desert. Visitors have a significant economic impact to the local communities, totaling more than 60 million dollars in spending in 2024. We should not risk this treasured place for the sake of a border wall, particularly when there are other options on the table.
“Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the corresponding protected areas on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande are areas of bi-national interest and must be managed accordingly. Dividing this pristine, irreplaceable desert would force residents and resource stewards to manage one side of the river at a time. Wildlife and communities on both sides of the wall would suffer, and nobody would be the winner here.”
“Big Bend is no place for a border wall. Harsh desert conditions and unforgiving mountain terrain already form natural barriers that discourage unsanctioned border crossings. The detection technology initially proposed for the region would not have as significant an impact to the landscape as a physical barrier. Customs and Border Protection already maintains a presence in Big Bend, given its status as a borderland park, and the current system is not presenting undue burdens on the park. Building a wall here makes no logistical sense and only serves to harm the region’s wild scenery and thriving community-based tourism economy.”
“We need to look for border solutions that are as unique as our landscapes and communities. And we must ensure the solutions we find don’t destroy the national treasures we’ve committed to protecting.”
Nearly one year ago, Marfa Public Radio reported on a growing military presence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The troops’ arrival came as part of the Trump administration’s military push along the border.
Big Bend National Park has undergone water shortages in the park’s Chisos Basin region. In late January, the park’s only hotel closed due to the shortages.
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