Two significant events happened yesterday: Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary was fired and the Customs and Border Patrol map was quietly updated to reflect a change from “planned border barrier” to a “detection technology” approach through a portion of the Big Bend Region.

There is still a border wall planned for the Big Bend area. The CBP map continues to show a border wall system in place for 172 miles along the Rio Grande, including Big Bend Ranch State Park. 

The “detection technology” portion extends roughly from the midpoint of Big Bend Ranch State Park east to Amistad National Recreation Area and spans the Terlingua and Lajitas area, Big Bend National Park, the “Wild and Scenic” portion of the Rio Grande and Seminole Canyon State Park.  

Community outcry and a rapidly mobilizing opposition appears to be having an impact. However, at the time of this post, there has been no public statement from the CPB or other government officials. We do not have any facts beyond the map update. While this shift from potential “physical wall” to “detection technology” is a signal that the public pressure is working, lack of transparency means we don’t know if this is a real policy shift or a tactical one designed to lower our guard. Map colors can easily change. “Detection technology” may still significantly impact the environment, limit access to public land and compromise private property rights via installation and maintenance. We just don’t know yet. 

Here’s what we do know:

• EVEN IF the administration is moving to a “digital only” border security plan for the national park, it still leaves some Big Bend communities in line for a potential physical border wall, especially in Hudspeth and Presidio Counties, which include:
  • The west half of Big Bend Ranch State Park, including highly popular access points to the Rio Grande
  • Chinati Mountains State Natural Area
  • The famous “river road” drive (also known as Camino del Rio)
  • Private land owners and farmers in Presidio County
  • The border towns of Presidio, Redford, Ruidosa and Candelaria
  • Indigenous land that has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years
• 28 Federal laws have been waived for CBP’s Big Bend project 
• There has not been any statement clarifying the public’s access and continued use of the Rio Grande Big Bend Ranch State park corridor
• As of October 2025, $4.5B in contracts have been allocated for border barrier construction in the southwest, which includes the Big Bend region 
• A $2B steel contract was recently awarded for raw construction materials in the southwest, which includes the Big Bend region
• There are contractors throughout the area. Requests for large scale “man camps” and material staging grounds are still active, as of this week

Every one of these areas is a priceless part of Texas and must be protected.

We advocate for:

STATEMENTS: From Texas officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, advocating for private land owners, Texas public land and protection of cultural resources 

TRANSPARENCY: A clear statement from CBP and DHS officials, regarding 1) the current plan for the Big Bend region, including the shift to “detection technology” as well as 2) an explicit definition of what “smart walls” mean for the areas still slated for a barrier.

DUE PROCESS: a restoration of environmental and cultural review, including the 28+ federal environmental, historic preservation, and administrative statutes that were waived in Section 102(c) to expedite construction in the area

DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS: A fully intact Big Bend region with data-informed, common sense border security measures that are largely already in place