Cornyn Presses DHS to Consult Texans on Big Bend Border Wall Construction

Republican Sen. John Cornyn sent Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin a letter on August 7 asking DHS to meet with local officials, landowners and park advocates before continuing border wall construction inside Big Bend National Park. Federal contractors began work near Santa Elena Canyon on August 6, following a June DHS waiver of environmental and historic-preservation requirements covering more than 100 miles of border, including the entire park. The administration has proposed roughly 175 miles of 30-foot steel wall through the surrounding counties.

The letter reflects bipartisan local opposition, including five border county sheriffs and thousands of protesters who gathered at the Texas Capitol in April, who argue the region's remote cliffs and canyons already deter crossings and that construction threatens wildlife corridors, tribal sites and the tourism economy.

The project also faces a pending lawsuit from a river guide, a local church group and the Center for Biological Diversity challenging the environmental waivers. DHS has not said whether it will pause construction pending consultation with Texas stakeholders.