Border Wall

Emails shared with Marfa Public Radio show U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly paused construction on part of the Big Bend border wall a week before a federal judge ordered the work halted. A CBP official wrote that the internal pause stemmed from a lack of access to private land and a federal contractor's demand for more money.

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.

The original plan, which has been stalled since July, called for construction of a wall along the Santa Ana wildlife refuge.

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.

Facilities set to house hundreds of border wall construction workers have cropped up in remote Big Bend communities, prompting complaints from locals to state regulators over public health concerns. An investigation by Marfa Public Radio reveals the state's response to those complaints has been hindered by the Trump administration's move to bypass federal laws for the $7 billion project.

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.

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.

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.

Hundreds of federal border buoys broke loose during recent flooding along the Rio Grande, disrupting traffic at international bridges and intensifying concerns that the floating barriers could endanger critical infrastructure and public safety.