Bulldozers Enter Big Bend: What It Means for Immigration News
What if federal contractors started bulldozing one of America's most iconic national parks — and the agency responsible first denied it was happening? That is exactly what unfolded at Big Bend National Park in Texas this week. Photographer Natalie Newman captured video of bulldozers plowing earth at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon, a stretch of the Rio Grande flanked by 1,500-foot cliffs — and the agency behind it, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has given shifting explanations ever since.
What if the deadline for stopping construction had already passed — quietly, without public notice? That is the fear driving activists at Big Bend National Park right now. Heavy machinery appeared near the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon as early as August 7, 2026. CBP initially denied the bulldozers had anything to do with its construction plans, claiming the agency was only regrading roads damaged by heavy rains. Days later, a CBP spokesperson backtracked, saying the machines were assessing soil for construction. By August 14, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott acknowledged the bulldozers were doing prep work for planned roads and vehicle barriers — but insisted construction had not officially begun.
What Is Being Built, and Why Here?
Big Bend National Park covers roughly 800,000 acres of Chihuahuan desert in southwest Texas, bordered by the Rio Grande. It is the state's largest and most-visited national park. CBP's current published plan calls for about 200 miles of new patrol roads and four sections of vehicle barriers — each about 6 feet tall — totaling 17 miles. The Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of federal environmental and cultural protection laws to speed the project along. The funding comes from a $46.5 billion border wall expansion included in the spending bill President Trump signed on July 4, 2025. Southwest Valley Contractors of New Mexico holds a $1.7 billion contract to build border security infrastructure in the area.
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Critics point out that the security rationale is thin. Immigration authorities made between 100 and 125 arrests annually inside the park in 2023 and 2024, according to former park superintendent Bob Krumenaker, who now leads the advocacy group Keep Big Bend Wild. Krumenaker says CBP is not being transparent about the full scope of its plans. "They are obscuring what they are doing," he said. "They refuse to tell people what the complete plan is." Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity put it more bluntly: "They're bulldozing a brand new road through the most beloved stretch of the park."
The Legal Fight Already Underway
River guide Billy Miller and the Center for Biological Diversity are suing DHS, arguing that waiving federal laws to rush construction violated due process and other constitutional rights. In June 2026, DHS agreed to give at least 30 days' notice before starting any ground-disturbing activity in the park. Activists say that agreement may already have been violated. US Senator John Cornyn sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asking him to halt construction and spend more time consulting with local communities. Despite broad local opposition — from river guides, business owners, and politicians of both parties — the most prominent Texas Republicans have largely stayed silent on the specifics of the construction.
What to Do
- Contact your congressional representative — both Democrats and Republicans in the region have gone on record about this issue, and constituent pressure matters.
- Follow Keep Big Bend Wild and the Center for Biological Diversity for verified updates on construction activity and the ongoing lawsuit against DHS.
- If you are a local business owner, river guide, or park user with a direct stake in access to the park, speak with an attorney about whether you have legal standing to join or support the existing lawsuit.
- Document and report any construction activity you witness — activists say on-the-ground footage has already forced CBP to change its public statements multiple times.
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The Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of federal environmental and cultural protection laws to speed this construction — that waiver authority is broad, but it is not unlimited. The ongoing lawsuit by Billy Miller and the Center for Biological Diversity argues that waiving those laws violated due process and other constitutional rights, and a June agreement required DHS to give at least 30 days' notice before any ground-disturbing activity in the park. If CBP broke that notice requirement, that is a concrete legal hook plaintiffs can use to seek an emergency injunction. Anyone with a direct stake in the park's access or ecology — a river guide, a local business owner — should speak with an attorney about whether they have standing to intervene in or support that suit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this construction actually happening, or is CBP just doing surveys?
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said the bulldozers are doing 'survey and design work' and that construction has not started. But activists and the park's former superintendent, Bob Krumenaker, say the machinery is clearly breaking new ground — uprooting trees and clearing vegetation at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon. Video footage captured by photographer Natalie Newman on August 14 shows bulldozers actively plowing earth at the site.
How much money is behind this project?
Congress included $46.5 billion for border wall expansion in the spending bill signed into law on July 4, 2025. Southwest Valley Contractors of New Mexico secured a $1.7 billion contract in May 2026 to build border security infrastructure in the Big Bend area, which includes the national park.
What exactly is planned for Big Bend National Park?
CBP's current published plan calls for roughly 200 miles of new patrol roads and four sections of vehicle barriers — each about 6 feet tall — totaling 17 miles. An earlier plan for a 30-foot steel bollard wall was walked back after public backlash. Critics, including the park's former superintendent, say CBP has not disclosed the full scope of what it intends to build.
Is anyone legally challenging this construction?
Yes. River guide Billy Miller and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that waiving dozens of federal laws to speed construction violated due process and other constitutional rights. In June, DHS agreed to give at least 30 days' notice before starting any ground-disturbing activity in the park. Activists say that agreement may already have been broken.