Critics in both parties argued the terrain already deters migrants
The Trump administration is temporarily pausing construction of a controversial border project in Big Bend National Park in southern Texas while the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection visits the state for a personal, on-the-ground evaluation of the work.
Rodney Scott, who heads CBP, said in an announcement on X that he was visiting Texas to do an evaluation. “CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Scott said.
The halt temporarily pauses activity on a project that has drawn fierce bipartisan opposition from critics who argue the work is marring a pristine environmental area and that the region’s rugged and remote terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers.
Scott’s announcement did not specify how long the evaluation would take or whether construction activity would resume after the review. CBP, the agency tasked with building the wall, announced the pause through Scott’s post on X rather than through a formal departmental statement.
The pause follows earlier reported bulldozing activity at Big Bend’s Santa Elena Canyon, where construction equipment was clearing ground in the days before Scott’s announcement.