Texas landowners sue Trump administration over border, Big Bend construction

Key Points:

• A coalition of about 230 private landowners in western and southwestern Texas, represented by Conserve Big Bend, filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from building border walls, barriers, and roads on their properties, arguing the area has been wrongly designated as high illegal entry.
• The lawsuit claims the Big Bend sector, covering over 77 counties, has recorded the fewest border apprehensions among southwest sectors in recent years, challenging the justification for construction in this ecologically sensitive and remote region.
• Landowners fear the construction will disrupt their properties, including cutting off access to homes, farming land, and the Rio Grande, with many having received notices from Customs and Border Protection about potential land use for the border wall project.
• The lawsuit and protests highlight tensions between border security measures and private property rights, with some landowners, previously supportive of stricter enforcement, now opposing the physical infrastructure planned on their land.
• Customs and Border Protection paused construction in Big Bend National Park last month for evaluation, but the pause is set to expire soon, while landowners outside the park remain concerned about ongoing threats to their property and way of life.