BREWSTER COUNTY, Texas \u2014 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott met Tuesday with border sheriffs and county judges in Brewster County as the fight over border construction in the Big Bend region enters a new phase.<\/p>\n
The meeting came after Scott announced construction activity inside Big Bend National Park would be paused while he traveled to the region for an on-the-ground evaluation.<\/p>\n
Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland was among the officials in the room. The former Border Patrol agent has known Scott for nearly three decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Rodney Scott and I are friends. We worked out in Nogales 28 years ago. He actually took me to headquarters with him back in about 2007,\u201d Cleveland said.<\/p>\n
Despite that history, the two have not always seen eye to eye on the Big Bend project.<\/p>\n
Cleveland said Scott did not design the original plan and instead inherited it from former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.<\/p>\n
\u201cKristi Noem, she was secretary. She went behind his back. She rolled this out without any type of coordination with Rodney as the commissioner of CBP,\u201d Cleveland said.<\/p>\n
That is Cleveland\u2019s characterization of what happened between Noem and Scott.<\/p>\n
According to the sheriff, Scott had already scaled back the project before this week\u2019s controversy and could make additional changes following Tuesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there’s still going to be more reductions made here in the Big Bend area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Local leaders could have more say<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s discussion focused heavily on giving local leaders a greater voice in what happens next.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe meeting was great,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cHe said he’s willing and he committed to working with the locals here, the local stakeholders … to ensure their interests are listened to, that their suggestions are listened to and considered, and I think we’ll see some of the project dialed back.\u201d<\/p>\n
That could include reconsidering where vehicle barriers are needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can defend a vehicle barrier not being needed in a certain area, then he’ll listen to that and consider that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Local leaders also raised the possibility of using existing roads rather than cutting new ones through Big Bend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s plenty of roads in Big Bend National Park that Border Patrol already uses,\u201d Cleveland said.<\/p>\n
The discussion included potentially burying fiber-optic infrastructure along those existing routes rather than creating new roads.<\/p>\n
Cleveland believes that could benefit both the park and Border Patrol.<\/p>\n
Construction paused for at least two weeks<\/p>\n
The meeting also provided more clarity about how long the current construction pause could last.<\/p>\n
Scott told the group construction would remain paused for a minimum of two weeks, according to Cleveland.<\/p>\n
But that does not mean the machinery automatically starts moving again when those two weeks are over.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he’s got the construction paused that will remain paused at least for two weeks,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cHe said he’s not going to start it right back up in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, Scott plans to give stakeholders time to work through their concerns and present recommendations.<\/p>\n
Whatever is presented, Cleveland said Scott will review it while considering both national security and local concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not a one size fits all\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest disagreements surrounding the project is whether the same type of border infrastructure should be used across vastly different terrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat works out here in Big Bend won’t necessarily work in San Diego, or what works in San Diego or Arizona is not going to work out here in Big Bend,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cIt’s not a one size fits all.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to technology and additional agents as alternatives that could play a larger role in this part of the border.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology, more boots on the ground, men and women with badges on their chests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cleveland argued that roads, barriers and technology can only accomplish so much without enough Border Patrol agents to respond.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how much infrastructure, such as roads, no matter how much technology, if you don’t [have] enough men and women to go out there and do the job, that other stuff, it’s wasted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Contractor complaints raised with Scott<\/p>\n
The meeting also touched on concerns involving contractors working along the border.<\/p>\n
Cleveland described reports in Val Verde County involving contractors entering private property after locks or chains were cut.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of those were spoke about down in Val Verde County, where landowners’ locks have been cut, chains have been cut,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Cleveland, Scott said he would raise those issues with the contractors.<\/p>\n
The sheriff also said some crews being sent into remote areas may not have the same knowledge of the land as local property owners and law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them have forcibly gone into some of these properties,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cleveland also stressed that contractors are private citizens carrying out federal contracts and said local law enforcement has a responsibility to make sure disputes involving contractors, landowners or protesters are resolved peacefully<\/p>\n
A border security sheriff says Big Bend is different<\/p>\n
Cleveland has been one of the most vocal border security sheriffs in Texas, and he made clear his concerns about Big Bend do not mean he opposes barriers everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, I believe in border security,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I believe in barriers where barriers are needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he draws a distinction when it comes to this region.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this area, we don’t need a barrier,\u201d Cleveland said. \u201cWe don’t need to take one for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also argued that the federal government has technology available that could provide additional security without relying exclusively on physical barriers.<\/p>\n
For Cleveland, the debate is also personal.<\/p>\n
A native of the region, he spent years working the border and continues to visit Big Bend National Park.<\/p>\n
Asked how he felt when he saw bulldozers moving across the landscape, his answer was immediate.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely disappointed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m a native of this area. … It’s beautiful, and there’s damage has been done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite that disappointment, Cleveland said he remains confident Scott will listen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m confident in Rodney Scott’s willingness to cooperate,\u201d he said. \u201cHe’s a man of his word, a man of integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sounds of the earth crying\u201d<\/p>\n
For Billy Bartko, one of the owners of Far Flung Outdoor Center, the controversy has played out both on the ground and online.<\/p>\n
Bartko has been watching the work up close and sharing what he sees with the world through social media, where some of the footage has drawn millions of views.<\/p>\n
Watching the bulldozers was difficult. Hearing them was worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sounds of the earth crying when they were taking an excavator and just ripping through the desert is probably the hardest thing,\u201d Bartko said.<\/p>\n
He described Big Bend as a serene and fragile habitat.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually hearing them ripping through the rocks and ripping into the earth is devastating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bartko believes some of the damage cannot simply be undone.<\/p>\n
He pointed specifically to a new patrol road near Mariscal Canyon, in the foothills of Mariscal Mountain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will never be the same,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is completely permanently altered forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also described work near the Solis takeout and campground and said trees were removed in the riparian area near Santa Elena Canyon.<\/p>\n
In his view, the cumulative impact amounts to an essentially irreversible alteration of the landscape.<\/p>\n
Relief, but not trust<\/p>\n
Now that construction inside the park has been paused, Bartko said there is some relief.<\/p>\n
But he is not ready to trust that the fight is over.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust is earned, not given,\u201d Bartko said. \u201cWe’re cautiously optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re very grateful that they are not tearing up the national park as we speak right now,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He said there remains \u201ca real underlying sense of distrust\u201d as residents wait to see what comes next.<\/p>\n
Next fight comes to San Antonio<\/p>\n
The next major decision could come in federal court.<\/p>\n
Bartko is part of the legal challenge seeking to stop the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a hearing for the injunction,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be on August 28 there in San Antonio in the Western District of Texas Federal Court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartko said it is his understanding that CBP has agreed to halt work inside Big Bend National Park until Aug. 31, allowing the court hearing to take place before work could resume.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be able to get our TRO hearing done before there’s any more work done inside the national park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve already taken one for the team\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartko also pushed back on arguments that protecting national security requires the Big Bend region to accept the project.<\/p>\n
He cited the remoteness of the region and the relatively small number of migrant crossings he says occur inside the national park.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve already taken one for the team,\u201d Bartko said. \u201cKeeping it wild and scenic and its natural state is taking one for the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crossing statistics Bartko cited during the interview have not been independently verified by FOX San Antonio.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re watching\u201d<\/p>\n
Residents also plan to continue documenting what happens during the pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it’s critically important that he realize we’re watching and we’re going to keep documenting and displaying what’s going on,\u201d Bartko said of Scott.<\/p>\n
He wants greater transparency from the federal government about exactly what is planned for the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want transparency from the government,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the American people deserve transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartko also described a volunteer effort to rescue plants and protect other resources that could be affected by construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love the park,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the way of life for us. It’s our backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n
The effort has included plant rescue work, monitoring construction, trips to Washington and participation in lawsuits.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can never underestimate the heart of a volunteer,\u201d Bartko said. \u201cWe’re all volunteering to save Big Bend.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also raised concerns about archaeological resources throughout the region, which has been inhabited for thousands of years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is so much archaeological value to this area,\u201d Bartko said.<\/p>\n
For now, the bulldozers inside Big Bend National Park are quiet.<\/p>\n
The project has not been canceled.<\/p>\n
But Tuesday’s meeting gave border sheriffs and county leaders a direct opportunity to make their case to Scott about where barriers are needed, where existing roads could be used and whether technology and additional personnel could provide alternatives.<\/p>\n
At the same time, opponents are preparing for an Aug. 28 federal court hearing in San Antonio. <\/p>\n
The next two weeks could help determine not only when construction resumes, but how much of the original plan remains when it does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BREWSTER COUNTY, Texas \u2014 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott met Tuesday with border sheriffs and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[82,84,83],"class_list":["post-410477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}