By: Chloe Wilson
Culture Editor
Due to the discourse surrounding President Donald Trump’s push to build a border wall in and around Big Bend National Park, plans may be reversed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In early March, the plans projected on an online map showed multiple “primary border wall systems” in the Texas region.
Before the CBP revised the plan, many Texans expressed their concerns. Democrat and Brewster County Sheriff, Ronny Dodson, has held office in his solidly red county for more than two decades and explained, “It’ll ruin this county. If it’s a real wall, it will devastate us. We don’t have oil and gas, we have tourism.” The plans included over 100 miles of border wall in Big Bend National Park. Although officials never officially stated that there would not be a border wall in the park, the cancellation of the plans suggests this outcome. However, CBP has said it will still develop and finalize an execution plan for border barrier construction. The cancellation appears to have resulted from the Texas Government after officials urged Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, to speak with the Trump administration regarding the “unnecessary militarization.”
Due to the constant changes in the map throughout recent weeks, these changes prevent the plans from being finalized. Besides the National Park itself, designs to build throughout Big Bend are still present. A 175-mile stretch beginning at Fort Quitman and ending at Colorado Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park appears in the plans. Landowners in these regions have received letters from CBP following the updates in the region. CBP has also received backlash due to the lack of information and abrupt changes to the map. An opposition group called No Big Bend Wall stated, “While this shift from potential ‘physical wall’ to ‘detection technology’ is a signal that the public pressure is working, lack of transparency means we don’t know if this is a real policy shift or a tactical one designed to lower our guard.”
Another group, which focuses on the environmental well-being of the park, Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park send out a statement which expressed, “The Big Bend region contributes to the greater good of Texas not only through tourism revenue but also through ecosystem services that benefit the state as a whole, including biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, carbon storage, and preservation of open lands.” Though critics have rebuked some of the plans to build a border wall, it is clear that many residents in these countries still have concerns. Brewster County Judge Greg Henington expressed, “From an economic standpoint, why are we going to spend all this federal money? I think there are other ways to get this job done than just close our eyes and start building walls.”
(Sources: Fox News, Houston Chronicle, NBC)