West Texas Residents Sue Over Big Bend Border Wall Plans

By Uriel J. Garcia, The Texas Tribune

EL PASO, TX — Advocacy groups along with another West Texas resident filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration for bypassing environmental laws to speed up its efforts to build a border barrier in the Big Bend area along the Rio Grande, arguing the move is not only illegal but that a wall “will destroy iconic sections of the Rio Grande corridor.”

“I’ve spent more than two decades guiding on the river, and if a border wall cuts off access, that’s the end of my career,” said Danny William Miller, Jr., a professional river guide and Terlingua resident who is one of the plaintiffs. “No one comes to Big Bend to see steel walls and razor wire. If they build this, they’re not just destroying a landscape, they’re wiping out our way of life.”

Miller, along with the Friends of the Ruidosa Church — a preservation group in the area — and the Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit organization, filed the lawsuit in the Western District of Texas in El Paso.

“While we fully support thoughtful, effective approaches to border safety, building a permanent wall in this unique landscape does nothing to solve local realities,” the group said in a statement. “The rugged terrain, steep canyons, and the Rio Grande itself already serve as natural deterrents and have for generations.”

The lawsuit argues the Trump administration needs Congress’ approval to proceed with its plan because its efforts to build a barrier have “vast economic and political significance.” 

Bypassing Congress to waive environmental laws to build a barrier along the Rio Grande, the lawsuit says, violates the “major questions doctrine,” which requires the White House to seek congressional approval before taking sweeping economic actions.

The U.S. Supreme Court cited the doctrine in its rulings against the Trump administration’s tariffs on imports and the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program.

In February, the Trump administration waived over two dozen environmental laws to clear the way for a 150-mile-long border barrier through West Texas, including Big Bend National Park and the adjoining state park, a rugged and scenic stretch with unscalable canyons along the Rio Grande.

The Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector, which encompasses 517 miles of the 1,950-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border, has historically been the least busy of the nine sectors. In fiscal year 2025, Border Patrol recorded 3,096 apprehensions in the Big Bend sector — accounting for just 1.3% of the 237,538 apprehensions recorded across the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

The move angered residents and has bipartisan opposition, including from local sheriffs who say the federal government should listen to the needs of local law enforcement officials if it wants to help prevent illegal immigration in the area. 

After strong public opposition, the Trump administration has given conflicting messages about whether it plans to build a physical barrier in the area. 

As of April 16, a map on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website no longer indicates that a border wall will be constructed in the Big Bend region from Big Bend Ranch State Park — which borders the national park to the west — to the Amistad National Recreation Area in Del Rio. The website indicates the Trump administration plans to install “detection technology” in that area. 

A spokesperson for the Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector previously told Marfa Public Radio that there are “currently no plans for border wall construction” in the state park. But emails obtained by the radio station from Paul Enriquez, an infrastructure director for Border Patrol, say the administration may still build barriers along the Big Bend region in the future.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C., lawmakers and advocates spoke against the Trump administration’s efforts to erect barriers all along the Texas-Mexico border on Thursday during a news conference.

“Something we don’t have to fight over in Texas is that we love Big Bend. Who the hell came up with this is really my question,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin. “Just leave it alone, or protect it and cherish it, instead of trying to screw something up that people of all political stripes agree on.”