A new federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block the Trump administration from bulldozing parts of Big Bend National Park amid a growing public outcry over the government’s border security plans for the region.
Contractors for U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been grading roads and clearing vegetation in the West Texas park over the past two weeks in pursuit of the agency’s plan for new border vehicle barriers and patrol roads.
The lawsuit from the nonprofit People of La Junta for Preservation – an indigenous group associated with members of the Lipan Apache community – alleges that the administration’s Big Bend area border infrastructure projects will “substantially burden” their Native religious practices by “physically altering, restricting access to, or destroying the places at which those practices occur.”
The plaintiffs also include the Far Flung Outdoor Center, a Terlingua river outfitter that claims the border construction would harm its business through reduced river access and tourism opportunities.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott has defended the project in Big Bend National Park, saying in in a statement Thursday the administration is “securing this park to protect its legacy.”
Democratic State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose district includes the national park, is one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, along with noted Houston trial lawyer Dick DeGuerin.
“We will not stay silent as the federal government continues to trample over the liberties of everyday people,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “We are going to fight back with everything we’ve got to preserve these lands for generations to come."
Gutierrez joined Marfa Public Radio Friday morning to discuss the case. Listen to that conversation in the audio player above.
Editor’s note: Dick DeGuerin is a member of Marfa Public Radio’s board of directors. Board members of Marfa Public Radio are not involved in the newsroom’s editorial decision-making.
