Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild Response To DOJ Seeking Supreme Court Intervention To Continue Border Wall Construction in Big Bend National Park
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Contact: Doug Gordon | do**@***************es.com
In response to the Department of Justice seeking action from the Supreme Court to continue their construction of a border wall through Big Bend National Park, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild issued the following comments.
Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks:
“Construction of border barriers, roads, and associated infrastructure inside Big Bend National Park will do unprecedented damage to the park.
“Big Bend National Park stands out for its unique and wild desert landscape, and is an important part of our nation’s natural heritage. The Trump Administration’s plan to build industrial-scale infrastructure through Big Bend threatens the park’s wild character, sensitive landscapes, and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. DHS, by continuing their fight for unnecessary border construction in Big Bend, has doubled down on their intent to mutilate an extraordinary landscape at a massive cost to the taxpayer—with little ultimate benefit.
“While today’s action by the Department of Justice is not a surprise, we are hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold Judge Cardone’s thoughtful ruling that DHS has exceeded Congressional intent with their actions in Big Bend National Park and the entire Big Bend Sector.”
Bob Krumenaker, Chair of Keep BIg Bend WIld and the superintendent of Big Bend National Park from 2018-2023:
“The border is already secure in the Big Bend, the quietest stretch of the entire southern border.
There are thoughtful, low-impact technologies that could strengthen it further, but DHS refuses to even consider them. Instead, it’s handing out billions in no-bid contracts to politically connected firms for little or no benefit to border security. DHS claimed an ‘acute and immediate need’ for new barriers and roads, and used that claim to waive every law that guarantees public input, protects our natural and cultural resources, and holds the government accountable. Yet it still says it has no specific plan for Big Bend National Park, even after bulldozing at least six miles of new, unnecessary roads through pristine habitat. The secrecy, the shifting stories, and the refusal to work with local landowners and businesses have angered West Texans and people across the country, and that opposition crosses party lines. This is the epitome of government overreach and a betrayal of Texas’ Gift to the Nation.
“We urge the Supreme Court to reject this government overreach.”
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