U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Monday he was “pausing all construction activity” in Big Bend National Park ahead of a visit to the area this week.
The Trump administration has faced a growing public outcry in recent days over images of bulldozers and other heavy machinery clearing land inside the sprawling West Texas park in pursuit of its plan to build new “patrol roads” across the park and install 17 miles of steel vehicle barriers.
In a video posted to social media, Scott said he had ordered the construction paused Sunday night, and that he was en route to the park for a "personal evaluation” and talk to local law enforcement and other stakeholders.
CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation.
— CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott (@CBPCommissioner) August 17, 2026
CBP is firmly committed to protecting America, and that includes our national treasures like Big Bend National Park (BBNP). We know the current and… pic.twitter.com/UkmzvTluwH
“We know the current and predictable national security threats and they are real,” Scott said in a statement accompanying the video. “Now over the next couple of days, I will join a small team to evaluate the terrain and listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders to ensure that we secure our borders while simultaneously protecting BBNP for generations to come.”
A CBP spokesperson did not immediately answer questions about the planned visit.
Scott’s visit comes just days after he had initially defended the construction work in the park, describing it as “survey and design work” and reiterating that CBP was not seeking to build a 30-foot steel border wall.
For months, locals and activists opposed to the work have insisted they remain concerned about current plans for the park, which would amount to a widespread construction project unconstrained by federal regulations. The Trump administration in June waived many environmental laws that would typically apply to such construction in a national park. Southwest Valley Constructors, a subsidiary of Nebraska-based construction giant Kiewet, was awarded a $1.7 billion contract in May for the Big Bend National Park project.
Activists have continued in recent days to document scenes of the construction, showing bulldozers and other heavy equipment clearing land through multiple parts of the park, from the popular Santa Elena Canyon scenic viewpoint along the Rio Grande to the extremely remote Mariscal Mountain area, one of the park’s most isolated and rugged regions.
"This temporary pause proves how much non-partisan public pressure is mounting in West Texas and across America to stop the irreversible destruction unfolding in this crown jewel national park,” said Laiken Jordahl, an advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, which is among the entities that have sued the Trump administration over its Big Bend area border plans.
Still, Jordahl warned that "construction at Big Bend is likely to resume at any moment."
"We’re not resting until these contracts are canceled, these workers are sent packing, the waivers are rescinded and every wall plan for the greater Big Bend region is scrapped for good," he said.
NEW: drone footage shows just how far contractors are tearing into Big Bend's Mariscal Mountain. All of this destruction has been inflicted in just two days.
— Laiken Jordahl (@LaikenJordahl) August 17, 2026
You can't pick a flower or take home a rock you find in a national park. But somehow, for no justifiable reason, in a… pic.twitter.com/dx8D4aJb0I
On Monday morning, Marfa Public Radio reporters took a flight over Big Bend National Park and did not see active construction activity underway at either the Santa Elena Canyon area or Mariscal Mountain. Near Mariscal, the reporters saw heavy machinery stationed near the start of what appeared to be a new path off an existing road — one activists had captured videos of crews building over the weekend.
The Trump administration is meanwhile facing multiple lawsuits over both its border plans in Big Big Bend National Park and its ongoing pursuit of a 30-foot steel border wall in the greater Big Bend region, from Hudspeth to Presidio counties.
In the most recent case, a local indigenous group asked a federal judge over the weekend for a temporary block on construction. There’s no clear timeline for when the judge in that case might rule on the request.
Zoe Kurland contributed reporting.
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