Texas landowners challenge Trump border wall in Big Bend

Conserve Big Bend and six landowners have sued the Trump administration in an effort to halt proposed border-wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend region, with support from dozens of other people along the border.

The plaintiffs argue that Big Bend should not be classified as an area of “high illegal entry”, the designation the administration has used to waive regulations protecting the environment, archaeology and wildlife.

According to the lawsuit, US Customs and Border Protection statistics show that Big Bend accounts for about 1 per cent of arrests along the US–Mexico border. The region contains about 805km of the roughly 3,219km border, or around one quarter of its total length.

The legal challenge comes as the administration pursues a border-infrastructure programme described as costing $46bn. The programme includes 9-metre steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and surveillance technology intended to prevent smugglers and migrants from entering the United States.

The border-building effort has also faced disputes involving Indigenous land in Arizona, as well as opposition from Texas sheriffs, elected officials, tour guides, environmental groups and landowners. The available material does not indicate that construction in Big Bend has been stopped or that a court has ruled on the case.