AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers sent a letter this week to Gov. Greg Abbott asking for his help in stopping the Trump administration from moving forward with border construction projects in Big Bend National Park.

Forty Democrats and three Republicans serving in the Texas House of Representatives added their signatures to the letter that went to the governor Thursday. In the opening of the letter, they said they wanted to express their “deep concern and opposition to construction of border barriers in the Big Bend region, particularly in Big Bend National Park.”

 Big Bend residents, local sheriff question CBP border infrastructure plans 

“We support securing our border and recognize our duty to protect Texans,” the letter from the 43 lawmakers read. “However, it is essential that border security policy be pursued in a manner that is effective, fiscally responsible, and respectful of the communities and landscapes we are sworn to protect.”

The timing of the letter coincides with protests that happened earlier this week in Big Bend National Park, where people spotted heavy equipment working to clear what looked like paths in the vegetation there. The commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection reiterated the agency does not plan to build a 30-foot-high border wall through the national park, but he said preparations are underway for a broader border infrastructure project that includes new patrol roads, detection technology and vehicle barriers.

On its official X page, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused news outlets of “fearmongering” in their reporting about the scope of the project.

“What people are seeing is survey and design work — NOT construction of a wall or stadium lighting through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Wildlife Management Area,” the DHS post on Thursday read. “We are working to preserve the landscape and protect the access visitors and local residents depend on.”

However, one of the three Republican lawmakers who signed onto the letter, State Rep. Wes Virdell of Brady, told KXAN on Friday his party could face backlash in the upcoming midterm election for Texas leaders not speaking out more publicly against the project, which he said has faced major bipartisan pushback across the state.

“To be honest with you, we’re in a general election coming up that’s going to be pretty tough,” Virdell said during an interview on KXAN News at 4, “and if people are watching Republicans not stand up for them down in South Texas, I think we’re going to lose the vote down there in the south.”

Virdell said he made his opposition known at the beginning of the year when CBP’s “Smart Wall” project initially included putting a 30-foot steel wall through Big Bend National Park. Even though the Trump administration said that’s no longer in its plans, Virdell said this still made a lot of people uncomfortable because, as he put it, the area has rough terrain and few instances of migrants crossing the border illegally there.

The letter he co-signed concluded with a direct appeal to Gov. Abbott.

“Big Bend belongs to future generations of Texans and we have an obligation to be responsible stewards of this land,” they wrote. “Therefore, we respectfully urge you to swiftly use every available avenue to call upon the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to immediately cease demolition and border barrier construction activities in Big Bend National Park.”

KXAN reached out Friday to Gov. Abbott’s office for comment about the lawmakers’ letter and their request for him to get involved in pushing back against the Big Bend project. The governor’s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, did not specifically address that. However, he wrote in a statement, “Rugged, isolated areas like Big Bend are great opportunities to deploy technology to aid in securing the border.”

Virdell explained what part he thinks the governor could play in this process.

“I can only speak as if I were governor and if I had the platform to stand up to protect Big Bend, that’s what I’d be doing right now, so I hope the governor will do the same,” he said. “We have a lot of people down there. Republicans won a lot of votes down in South Texas, and then I think we’re going to lose a lot of that because right now, down on the border, they’re seeing the Democrats standing up for them, and they’re not seeing the Republicans show up and stand up for them. I think we need to really remember those people that live down there and that are going to be affected by this.”

Virdell also laughed off any concerns about facing pushback from others within his own party who are not being as vocal on their opposition to the project as he is.

“I have to live with myself after all this is over. My colleagues have to live with the decisions they make, too,” Virdell said. “If they want to turn a blind eye to this and and feel like they did something, I don’t know. It’s disappointing to watch that, and I’m not here to throw my colleagues under the bus, but you know I live in a district that’s 76% Republican. I’m not too worried about losing in a general election, but I have a duty to stand up for Texas regardless of party politics, and this isn’t a Republican versus Democrat issue in my opinion.”

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.