Border-wall plans spark resistance in Big Bend; the region faces drought, groundwater concerns, and flood risk amid U.S. border-security push.
Protests across the Big Bend region intensify as officials waive environmental laws to expedite a border-wall project tied to a $46.5 billion federal package. Local residents, activists, and officials say the plan threatens wildlife, river access, and regional tourism while the CBP defends phased deployments and reviews.
The Presidio dispute over the border wall has culminated in a court ruling that denies a stay, while the government continues with plans to deploy the barrier, raising flood and environmental concerns for the town and surrounding areas.
The government has ordered a halt to drilling new wells in New Mexico while a groundwater strategy is developed with state and federal agencies. Ranchers warn that pumping could threaten livestock and livelihoods as drought presses on; officials say all non-tribal wells require permits, and eight wells have been found drilled without authorization along the Roosevelt Reservation.
Landowners in Texas’s Big Bend region resist the administration’s border-wall plans, challenging survey access and pursuing court action as a judge halts work amid a broad, bipartisan backlash and a $7.5 billion investment to fortify the border.