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WASHINGTON — <\/span>The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily pausing construction of a contentious border construction<\/a> project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits to do an \u201con-the-ground evaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce bipartisan opposition by critics<\/a> who say it is marring the area’s pristine environment. They argue the region\u2019s rugged and remote terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Border crossings in the area have historically been lower than other regions and have dropped even further over the past two years.<\/p>\n \u201cCBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,\u201d Rodney Scott, who heads Customs and Border Protection, said on X. Scott said over the next couple of days, he was going to \u201clisten to local leadership, community members and stakeholders\u201d to address what he said were \u201creal\u201d national security threats while protecting the park.<\/p>\n Customs and Border Protection did not respond to questions about how long the construction was paused or give any details on whom Scott would be meeting with in Texas.<\/p>\n While it isn\u2019t clear whether the brief suspension portended a more permanent halt to the construction in the area, it reflected the intensity of the bipartisan opposition and was a rare concession from the administration on a signature promise of the president\u2019s that it has raced to complete.<\/p>\n Congress gave the Trump administration $46 billion last summer<\/a> to build a wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the administration has been charging ahead and waiving numerous regulations in an effort to swiftly build the wall.<\/p>\n Scott has said he expects the first layer of the wall to be built by the end of next year.<\/p>\n But the administration has run into fierce opposition in Texas, especially when it comes to construction in and near Big Bend National Park and a state park to the west.<\/p>\n Customs and Border Protection earlier this year backed off plans to build a 30-foot-tall bollard wall through the parks but was still moving forward with other border protection measures such as a new road, lights, barriers designed to stop cars from crossing the border and technology such as buried fiber optic cables. <\/p>\n That has sparked opposition from Democratic and Republican sheriffs in the region, former national park officials, local residents who rely on the parks for their livelihood and some Texas elected officials. Critics have said it will scar the rugged landscape that attracts tourists who raft down the Rio Grande River and take advantage of some of the clearest night skies in the U.S. to gaze at stars.<\/p>\n The sheriff of Brewster County, which includes Big Bend National Park, said Monday that he’ll be meeting with Scott during his trip and that he was glad the commissioner was going to have the opportunity to see the terrain with his own eyes and hear firsthand from people in the region.<\/p>\n Ronny Dodson is concerned about possible damage to archeological sites and Native American burial grounds caused by construction for the new road that’s supposed to be built through the park. He hopes Scott will see how closely the new road mirrors an already existing road, and Dodson said he wants more information about the technology the agency plans to use to secure the border.<\/p>\n Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over the weekend and suggested that the construction pause was a result of their talk. Abbott said the secretary committed to the governor that there would be no wall or barriers built in the park, but the governor made no mention of the road building that has concerned local residents.<\/p>\n Last week, bulldozers were seen clearing land at the park, sparking even more concern and raising questions from one of the state’s Republican senators. <\/p>\n At the time the bulldozers were seen, the Department of Homeland Security said on X that they were related to \u201csurvey and design work.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary to the state’s attorney general, wrote to Mullin over construction concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cMy constituents believe that the 1,000-foot riverbank cliffs and remote Big Bend terrain offers its own source of deterrence for any illegal migrants crossing into the United States. The dangerous terrain includes steep mountains, deep canyons, and expansive deserts which they believe act a natural barrier that limits large-scale movements,\u201d Cornyn wrote.<\/p>\n As the wall-building efforts have shifted into high gear this year along the roughly 2,000-mile border, opposition has spiked as well. <\/p>\n The administration has faced criticism from Native American groups saying wall contractors are desecrating religious sites<\/a>, a small Texas town worried the wall will damage its levee system<\/a>, and a Catholic archdiocese that says wall construction in the El Paso area mars an important religious site. <\/p>\n Activists who have been rallying opposition to the administration’s plans said they were encouraged by the pause but they would be watching closely to see if CBP makes any significant changes or simply goes back to its previous plans.<\/p>\n Bob Krumenaker was the superintendent of Big Bend National Park from 2018 to 2023 and now chairs the organization \u201cKeep Big Bend Wild,\u201d which aims to preserve the park’s wild nature. He said he was \u201cwary but optimistic\u201d after news of the pause.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are paying attention to all of the objections that have been raised across the political spectrum,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n But Krumenaker said it’s unlikely that CBP is going to entirely abandon all its plans in the region. Krumenaker said he and others would be watching to see whether the equipment like the bulldozers is removed from the park, the agency outlines a clear plan going forward and it repairs any damage already done.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s hope they significantly modify their plans in response to what they hear, and make it transparent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Another group, which sued Homeland Security over its decision to broadly waive regulations to speed up construction projects in the Big Bend region, called the announcement \u201cwelcome news\u201d but warned that construction could resume \u201cat any moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis temporary pause proves how much non-partisan public pressure is mounting in West Texas and across America to stop the irreversible destruction unfolding in this crown jewel national park,\u201d said Laiken Jordahl with the Center for Biological Diversity. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not resting until these contracts are canceled, these workers are sent packing, the waivers are rescinded and every wall plan for the greater Big Bend region is scrapped for good.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n