Big Bend

A legal battle over the Trump administration's plan for border barriers across the Big Bend region is now in the hands of the nation's highest court. Marfa Public Radio spoke with SCOTUSblog founder and reporter Amy Howe about what could happen next.

Let Texans Do Texas, a newly-launched nonprofit, is calling on state and federal leaders to create a $2 billion border security fund specifically for the Big Bend region as an alternative to the Trump administration's border wall plans. The group says it's advocating for a local approach, rather than a "one-size-fits-all federal construction program."

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow construction on border walls and other barriers across the Big Bend region of West Texas to continue. The request comes after a federal district judge blocked the construction amid an ongoing legal fight.

A lawsuit filed Monday takes aim at federal agencies' use of waivers to expedite construction of a wall along the border with Mexico and claims that landowner's constitutional rights are being violated.

A federal judge in San Antonio has extended a temporary pause on new ground-disturbing activity tied to border wall construction in the Big Bend region. The parties will meet before Sept. 15, when the court is scheduled to reconvene.

The bulldozers have stopped in Big Bend for now. But for how long? And what does this mean for other culturally sensitive areas on the border slated for border wall construction? The Trump administration says the wall is needed to prevent illegal immigration, but critics say this pristine land is not a crossing point. The latest on the legal fight to save Big Bend.

Those opposed to the a border barrier throughout the Big Bend region say the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department should be doing more to stop the construction on state lands.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Monday he was "pausing all construction activity" in the West Texas park ahead of a visit to the region this week. Scott's visit comes after two weeks of public outcry over images of bulldozers and other heavy machinery clearing land in the park.

A coalition of landowners, outdoor enthusiasts and business owners that say any work in Big Bend National Park would forever change the place often called "Texas' gift to the nation."

The Trump administration’s plans for an unprecedented expansion of border-policing infrastructure in Big Bend have also triggered an ambitious scientific initiative. The Big Bend Borderlands BioBlitz aims to document the biodiversity here before it’s damaged or destroyed.