Plans to build a new section of Donald Trump's border wall through the Big Bend region of Texas have been met with bipartisan opposition and confusion, as residents and officials grapple with the potential impact on the area's ecosystem, tourism, and way of life.
In late March, contractors began upgrading a dirt road near the US-Mexico border, a step Yolanda Alvarado, a fifth-generation cattle rancher, says is the precursor to constructing a 30-foot steel barrier. The proposed wall would cut through her family's property, where her grandparents are buried, and disrupt the local environment. "It's not just about our property, it's about the wildlife, it's walling off the river," she said.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) updated its border wall map in February to indicate a "primary border wall system" within Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. However, in early March, the map was quietly changed to show "detection technology" instead of a physical barrier in the park, though no formal statement has been issued. This has caused confusion among residents and local officials.
Linda Walker, owner of Big Bend and Lajitas Stables, said the wall would devastate the region's tourism-dependent economy. "Tourism drives everything here. There is no other economy," she said. The Big Bend Sentinel reported that Fisher Sand and Gravel was awarded a $1.2bn contract to build 70 to 80 miles of wall from Ruidosa to Colorado Canyon, running directly through Walker's ranch. She said the wall would mean the end of her business.
Local opposition has united conservative judges, sheriffs, environmentalists, and ranchers against the project. Alvarado has been speaking at town hall meetings to inform the public. "We are tied to the land here in west Texas," she said. "This is not going down easy."
