In Texas, Donald Trump suspends the controversial project for a wall on the Mexican border
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) planned to install barriers, lighting and detection technology in Big Bend National Park in Texas, known for its spectacular landscapes and biodiversity. Faced with criticism from residents and local elected officials, the Donald Trump administration announced on Monday August 17 that it was suspending this project to secure the border with Mexico.
“Last night, I ordered the suspension of all construction work in this park until I can go there and make a personal assessment,” Rodney Scott, who heads the US Border Patrol (CBP), said in a video on X on Monday.
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To authorize the project, the government had lifted the constraints imposed by dozens of environmental laws. This $1.7 billion plan is part of Donald Trump’s desire to build a wall on the Mexican border in order to fight against illegal immigration.
According to border police data, only 9,624 migrant arrests were recorded between January 2024 and July 2026 in the Big Bend sector.
Concern among residents and local elected officials
Locally, officials signed an open letter supporting securing the border but calling for “pragmatic solutions.”
Five sheriffs also wrote to the authorities believing that surveillance technologies would be better suited to this steep terrain.
“As you can see behind me, this is one of the most inhospitable places in the United States,” Jake Knight of the Big Bend Protection Alliance told AFP. “It is literally impossible to cross, either on foot or by vehicle, from the other side (Mexico) to here,” he added.
“There are worried residents, who are really concerned about this border barrier project in Big Bend. There is a $1.7 billion contract, awarded without competitive bidding, in our national park. That’s a lot of money to spend,” Bernadette Devine, who demonstrated against the project, told AFP.
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The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the government to block the project. “I have never seen residents so indignant and so united around the same fight,” Laiken Jordahl, a member of this environmental association, explained to AFP, who welcomes the suspension while refusing to see it as yet another “victory”.
With AFP
