{"id":341141,"date":"2026-06-18T09:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/341141\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:52:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:52:20","slug":"south-texas-community-suing-federal-government-over-planned-border-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/341141\/","title":{"rendered":"South Texas community suing federal government over planned border wall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A wall along the U.S.-Mexico border casts its shadow on U.S. territory. Credit: Wikimedia Commons \/ Amyyfory<\/p>\n

The municipal development district of a small Texas border town is suing the federal government to stop construction of the border wall in the area near Big Bend National Park.<\/p>\n

The municipal development district of Presidio \u2014\u00a0located some 250 miles east of El Paso \u2014\u00a0filed a federal lawsuit<\/a> against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott.<\/p>\n

Despite having a population of just 3,000, the village is going up against the federal government with the help of activist group Democracy Forward.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s filing challenges the construction of the planned border wall in the Big Bend area and asks a federal court to stop the unapproved construction before it potentially disturbs vital flood control measures near the Rio Grande and its tributaries.<\/p>\n

The complaint and accompanying emergency motion ask the U.S. District court in the District of Columbia to require DHS, CBP and their contractors to halt construction and conduct legally required review processes as they advance efforts to build a border wall in the sensitive ecological zone, which also served as a hub of tourism and an economic engine for the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig Bend is a cherished region of Texas and our nation alongside the Rio Grande. Federal law prohibits construction that alters federal flood-control projects without the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and, here, the federal government plans to build on the very levee that protects the Presidio Municipal Development District,\u201d Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement.\u00a0 \u201cThe Trump-Vance administration cannot pick and choose which laws it wants to follow and which laws it wants to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Trump administration also recently waived dozens of environmental law<\/a>s to build roads, surveillance towers and vehicle barriers in Big Bend National Park. In total, border wall construction in the region racked up some $7 billion in construction contracts so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cConstruction on the federal flood-control works in Presidio could compromise their integrity and leave the region vulnerable to deadly flash floods capable of destroying infrastructure, homes, farmland, and agriculture,\u201d Perryman added. \u201cThat means real harm to real people in the area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first project the Trump administration has attempted to push through without the proper environmental reviews in the name of its war on immigration. The administration also faces suits for circumventing legally required environmental reviews as it converts warehouses into immigrant detention facilities for its planned ramp-up of arrests and deportations. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tCustoms and Border Protection has earmarked more than $4 billion for a project through the prized Texas park, including a fence short enough to step over. The public has until July 13 to provide feedback. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Trump\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tDespite the White House saying it won\u2019t build a physical wall through the public lands, environmentalists said the administration is still making moves to do just that. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Trump\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tA lawsuit alleges the Trump administration awarded most new Texas border wall contracts to two firms. One has faced legal issues and shoddy construction claims.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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