A bipartisan group of West Texas sheriffs released a joint statement on Monday condemning the Trump administration’s plans to build border walls in the state’s Big Bend region and urging officials to “consult directly” with local law enforcement on the matter.
“Based on decades of combined experience working this terrain, we believe that construction of a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area,” the group wrote.
The five sheriffs who signed the statement come from counties collectively spanning hundreds of miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, from near El Paso almost to Del Rio.
The sheriffs include:
- Arvin West, Hudspeth County
- Thaddeus Cleveland, Terrell County
- Oscar Carrillo, Culberson County
- Danny Dominguez, Presidio County
- Ronny Dodson, Brewster County
In their statement, the group argues the Big Bend region’s mountainous borderland canyons and rugged desert landscape serve as “formidable natural barriers that significantly limit large-scale movement.” The sheriffs go on to say that modern border security surveillance technology has already “proven highly effective” in the region.
“Targeted patrol deployment supported by aerial and sensor-based monitoring allows law enforcement to respond precisely and efficiently without the need for extensive permanent infrastructure,” the sheriffs wrote.
The group’s move comes amid a growing outcry against the federal government’s shifting plans for physical border walls in the Big Bend area.
Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection quietly removed two stretches of planned border walls from its map of "Smart Wall" projects in the Big Bend region of West Texas, including one such project slated to run through Big Bend National Park.
Still, other Big Bend area projects continue to move forward, with increasingly clear signs that they will consist of physical border walls.
Government documents show CBP is currently gathering input on its plans for 175 miles of “border barrier system construction” stretching from Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.
In one document outlining the plan, the agency said it is gathering comments regarding the project’s “potential impacts to the environment, cultural resources, and commerce, including socioeconomic impacts and quality of life.” CBP said it will take comments sent by email, phone or mail until April 6.
The Department of Homeland Security has also published details in recent days related to multiple federal contracts for border wall building in the region.
North Dakota-based Fisher Sand and Gravel has been awarded a $1.2 billion contract for “vertical barrier” construction in Presidio County, including a stretch of the border within Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Montana-based Barnard Construction was likewise awarded nearly $2 billion in separate contracts for “border barrier construction” projects stretching through Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.
The West Texas sheriffs opposing the wall plans noted they are “mindful of the unique character of the Big Bend region.”
“Major permanent infrastructure, accompanied by lighting systems, access roads, and maintenance corridors would permanently alter one of the most remote and ecologically significant border landscapes in the United States,” they wrote in their Monday statement.
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