How One Small Section of Trump's Planned Border Wall Became the Center of a Big Battle

Demonstrators against the construction of a section of the US-Mexico border wall during a protest at Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park, Texas, on Aug.

12, 2026. —Kaylee Greenlee—Bloomberg/Getty Images President Donald Trump ’s Administrations have overseen the construction of hundreds of miles of barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border in the more than a decade since he first pledged to build a wall spanning the boundary, with hundreds more currently in progress.

But one small portion of that planned wall—stretching merely 17 miles —has become the center of a hard-fought battle.

That section of the project, which extends across challenging terrain in Texas’ Big Bend National Park that has historically seen relatively few attempted border crossings, has faced pushback from everyone from public lands advocates to congressional lawmakers to local residents.

Read More: What's the Status of Trump's Border Wall? A Key Campaign Promise, Over a Decade On The Trump Administration has been pushing the construction of the border wall in Big Bend despite the public outcry, going so far as to bypass a score of environmental laws to expedite the project.

But on Monday, after months of opposition, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott announced that CBP had paused “all construction” in the park while he visited the site to conduct a “personal, on-the-ground evaluation.” In post on X , Scott wrote that he would be working to “evaluate the terrain and listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders” over the next “couple of days.” Texas Gov.

Gregg Abbott also said on Monday that he had spoken with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who Abbott said had “committed” to not building “a wall or a fence” in Big Bend.

Abbott said there were “other tools” to ensure border security.

Here’s what to know about the Trump Administration’s efforts to build the border wall in Big Bend, and the opposition the project is confronting.

What the Trump Administration is seeking to build in Big Bend Big Bend National Park sits in a remote southwest corner of Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border in Brewster County.

The Administration has sought to build 17 miles of barriers across that section of the border as part of the larger border wall project.

Perhaps the most recognizable image of Trump’s wall is the “primary wall,” a structure built from tall steel bollards up to 30 feet tall that makes up the first line of the barrier system that would be encountered by those travelling north from Mexico.

The section of the project planned to run through Big Bend, however, would look notably different, according to Scott.