Big Bend is a national treasure. It is a state and national park in West Texas, renowned for its beauty. Bulldozers are coming to ruin it. 

• The Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National Park Service Organic Act, etc., which were all put in place to protect the delicate environment of Big Bend, were all bypassed by the Department of Homeland Security through waivers in order to speed through harmful construction.

• Tourism is the main source of revenue for the area, and the border wall will cut off access to the Rio Grande and view of the region’s famous “dark skies,” both key tourist attractions. Therefore the border wall will significantly harm the region’s economy.

• The existing terrain of Big Bend, such as steep mountains and deep canyons, already acts as a physical barrier that makes it difficult to cross. Last year, less than three percent of migrants crossing the southern border crossed through the Big Bend region. This deems the expansion of the border wall in this area unnecessary and a massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

• Large blockades created by the wall will disrupt migration of animals such as black bears, mountain lions, many species of migratory birds, and even endangered species like the yellow-billed cuckoo, will all face displacement.

• Heavy machinery used for construction destroys native vegetation and, due to the nature of desert terrain, it will take a long time for the environment to recover even after construction ceases.

• The Department of Homeland Security has also bypassed the National Historic Preservation Act through the REAL ID Act of 2005, allowing construction to occur on unstudied archaeological sites and Native American lands.

The political elite are taking private property, harming farms, harming communities, harming wildlife, and scarring our beautiful Big Bend, all so that construction contracts are given to their elite donors. You don't need a border wall, or any of the other things they're building, between two 1,000-foot cliffs. There's no common sense to it; only destruction and death. We must stop scarring our natural heritage to enrich the Corrupt Bigshots.