In 2026 the Department of Homeland Security waived dozens of federal laws, the National Park Service Organic Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Clean Water Act and more, to fast-track border barriers and roads through Big Bend National Park, a Texas crown jewel. Bulldozers broke ground near Santa Elena Canyon in August. Texas’s Republican land commissioner sent Customs and Border Protection a cease-and-desist for clearing state land, seven former Big Bend superintendents urged DHS to reject the waivers, and a coalition sued, arguing the waivers were unconstitutional. The security case is thin: the park accounted for 0.045 percent of the nation’s border apprehensions, with no documented illegal vehicle crossings. The contracts run to billions.
SourcesDHS waives dozens of laws for Big Bend border barriers (Houston Public Media) · Bulldozers break ground in Big Bend National Park (Center for Biological Diversity) · $1.7B and $2.6B border contracts through Big Bend (San Antonio Current)
