Officials backing the wall \u201cwere woefully unprepared for the hornet\u2019s nest they stirred up because they had no idea how much we love this place,\u201d said David Keller, an archaeologist and historian who specializes in the Big Bend and lives in the region.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFor us, the Big Bend is not an empty place on the map,\u201d he said at a press conference announcing the suit. \u201cIt is our home.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of its wall-building efforts, the administration has waived numerous regulations and statutes designed to protect the environment, archaeology or wildlife, on the basis that there\u2019s an urgent need to protect the border in what Homeland Security has called areas of \u201chigh illegal entry.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in the lawsuit announced Monday, the plaintiffs argue that when it comes to the Big Bend region, that\u2019s not an accurate description. They\u2019ve cited historical statistics issued by Customs and Border Protection showing how few people cross the border in Big Bend compared with other areas along the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n
![\"Work](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/J2MJY5ZKKB3WQLHO6X6FFT555U.jpg\")
Work on a stargazing amphitheater at the Terlingua Star Park in Terlingua, Texas, on April 20.EMILY ELCONIN\/NYT<\/p>\n
Big Bend has about 500 miles of border \u2014 roughly one quarter of the total length of the border with Mexico from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. But the region only accounted for about 1% of arrests, according to the lawsuit\u2019s stats.<\/p>\n
Laura Allen, whose family\u2019s ranch would have border wall cut right through it under the plans, noted that illegal border arrests have plunged even further since Trump returned to office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, President Trump. You\u2019ve secured the border,\u201d Allen, a two-time Trump voter and former county judge, said at the press conference. \u201cBut now let it go. It\u2019s time.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plaintiffs are arguing that the Department of Homeland Security is misusing powers from Congress that allow the secretary broad authority to waive regulations in order to build border walls or other infrastructure in areas where there are large numbers of people trying to cross into the country illegally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat determination is legally and factually unsound and unsupported,\u201d the plaintiffs wrote.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit filed Monday is the latest in efforts to slow or stop the administration\u2019s plans in Texas and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The biggest outcry has come over Customs and Border Protection\u2019s plans for the Big Bend National Park, which sits in a far southwestern corner of Texas where the Rio Grande separates the U.S. from Mexico.<\/p>\n
The park\u2019s remote and rugged location, its steep limestone canyon walls and crystal clear starry night views attract visitors from around the world. The government has said in court hearings that no final plans have been decided for what will be built in the park but plans made public so far have included building a new road, installing detection technology and barriers to stop vehicles from crossing the border.<\/p>\n