Big Bend Region Border Wall Construction

Two weeks ago the Big Bend Sentinel broke the story that the long-threatened concept of constructing possible physical barriers to the Rio Grande is actually in the nascent stages of becoming reality.

We here in the Big Bend region have watched as our neighbors in South Texas have experienced actual border wall construction over the last ten years plus, and we’ve seen testing and implementation of “smart wall” technologies that don’t require the destruction of habitat or the sequestration of the river itself from farmlands, recreational or natural areas.

I was caught off guard when the paper called me to ask if I had heard about companies having approached several local landowners about ground leases for staging and housing areas for border barrier construction and crews. As it turns out, without a few of those landowners contacting the press to share that this contact had happened we still might not know that the persistent quiet threat of this occurring is now at our doorstep. I’ve been thinking about this ever since.

Why here? Why now? These questions lead me to these conclusions. Why here is because we don’t have money interests (stakeholders) strong enough to easily push back. Why here is also because our Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park preserves, although natural areas whose appeal is the beautiful pristine landscapes they offer, are owned and controlled by governmental bodies in support of border barriers. Why now is because either in the upcoming midterm elections or in the 2028 Presidential election there is no guarantee that the political will to fund and achieve this will be in place later.

I recall being newly elected as Justice of the Peace in 2015 when our then U.S. Representative Will Hurd had worked directly with several local landowners, including the Brite Ranch, to bring new camera and sensor technologies to ranchlands here in Presidio County. The tech was installed quickly and with minimal disruption to operations. By the personal accounts of some of the ranchers involved in the process, it had an immediate positive impact on apprehensions of migrants and drug runner crossings within deployment areas. This was now over ten years ago and the technology has only gotten better. That initial tech combined with the ability to use artificial intelligence to assist humans in monitoring I would expect improvements to be on the order of leaps and bounds (with more to come). The federal government’s renewed push into going forward with contracts for fixed wall segments in our remote area only makes sense with regard to political optics and enriching preferred contractors.

Our current State representative Eddie Morales released a letter to Governor Greg Abbott yesterday asking the Governor to make a request to the Trump Administration to “cease any proposed plans to build permanent border walls in the Big Bend region.” I’ve attached a copy of the letter below if you’d like to read the full text. It references the 500,000 plus visitors to Big Bend National and State Ranch Parks each year and makes the case that “permanent border security infrastructure is not needed" in our area. “Steep canyons, rugged terrain and remote geography has long served as a natural barrier” to unauthorized border crossing activity. Rep. Morales goes on to write, “It is essential that our most treasured natural formations are not subject to unnecessary militarization and a permanent disruption to our landscape.”

Here’s the link to the full letter from rep. Morales -

https://www.beebefortexas.com/s/Rep-Morales-Letter-to-Abbott-Big-Bend-Border-Wall.pdf

I agree completely with Representative Morales, as I’m sure nearly 100% of Presidio County residents do. The cost and permanent disruption of our ecological resources, the most important being the river itself and the natural formations that exist because of it, would be devastating to our local identity, quality of life, economy, and historic and ecological preservation.

I fully intend to make my voice heard in opposition to any wall construction. For me this does not have anything to do with opposing border security as an operational concept and priority. One of the reasons we have such safe communities is because of the many CBP officers living and working in our area and I support their presence. There are many much better and cheaper options for strengthening the ability of our customs and immigration officers to do their jobs. I would advocate, to start, for federal assistance and/or pressure on the State of Texas Dept of Transportation to implement the operational and safety improvements of the Highway 67 Master Plan in the most rapid fashion. Just last week a CBP officer was involved in a very serious head-on collision with a mail delivery van about ten miles south of Shafter around a near-blind curve. Members of CBP and the U.S. Military experience the same dangerous road conditions as we have for years on this highway, and they also are subject to the same life threatening lack of EMS flexibility and hospital services along the Rio Grande.

Advocacy for federal border security funding to instead support the troops and officers working the border will be my priority in this matter. Resources for the protection of federal forces doing their work would be a far better use of the taxpayer dollars that are proposed for wall construction. Driving along FM 170 from Big Bend Ranch State Park all the way to the Jeff Davis County line up Chispa Rd anyone and everyone is in danger of not being able to be rescued if suffering a medical incident. To be clear, incidents that in the rest of the State could be relatively routine can turn deadly nearly anywhere in our County due to lack of EMS resources and the unavailability of air ambulance helicopter service at the Presidio Lely International Airport. Utilizing budgeted border security funding for initiatives that pertain to the safety and working conditions can and would also strengthen our own communities.

With regard to our own local/regional Federal Representation, our Congressman Tony Gonzales was in Presidio yesterday for an invitation-only meeting hosted by Judge Portillo. A recording of the event reflects that he stated that he does not know (or cannot speak) about border barrier construction progress. His public focus has traditionally been on pointing to federal grants and facilities he’s brought to his district, one has to wonder if physical border barriers are one of those things. He’s currently under intense fire from people in his own party about his affair with a staffer who went on to commit suicide, a horrible tragedy. He’s in a heated primary with Brandon Herrera “The AK Guy” and a few others, That being said, campaign time is a great time to get a candidate’s attention. Contact his office and let them know we don’t want physical border barriers.

In closing, it’s very important for all Big Bend residents to let our State and Federal leaders know that we vehemently oppose construction of a physical border barrier. This means reaching out to Senators Cruz and Cornyn, and to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s offices. Our small population and lack of economic power makes it even more important that we present a unified, strong voice opposing construction of any walls and takings of private property or access to the river.