The Threat

Environmental laws normally require extensive biological surveys and impact assessments before large-scale construction can break ground. But in June 2026, the Secretary of Homeland Security waived dozens of these protections across the Big Bend region to rush construction.

That means Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River are no longer protected by bedrock U.S. environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Park Service Organic Act and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Construction contracts totaling billions of dollars have been awarded. Bulldozers are already on site in the national park, and construction has begun.

Every observation submitted to this project helps build the scientific baseline of the region's biodiversity. With environmental protections waived, that baseline will be indispensable for assessing damage and guiding future mitigation and restoration now that construction is taking place.

Photo credits: Border wall by Russ McSpadden/Center for Biological Diversity; Aerial video of border wall construction at Tinajas Altas mountains/Center for Biological Diversity; Graphic courtesy of No Big Bend Wall Coalition; Bulldozer in Big Bend National Park by Natalie Newman.