1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

You are being warned — by Republicans and Democrats alike — that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to carve a border wall straight through one of America’s crown jewels: Big Bend National Park and neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park. If you allow this to proceed, the damage will not be theoretical. It will be permanent. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has waived 28 environmental protection laws to force this construction forward — bypassing safeguards that exist precisely to prevent reckless destruction of irreplaceable landscapes. Twenty-eight laws. Clean air protections. Wildlife protections. Cultural resource protections. All swept aside under the vague justification of an “acute and immediate need.” An emergency does not justify vandalizing America’s natural heritage. Big Bend is not an empty stretch of desert. It is one of the most ecologically diverse and pristine regions in North America. It protects the Chisos Mountains, the Rio Grande corridor, endangered species habitat, archaeological sites, dark skies recognized globally, and a fragile desert ecosystem that cannot simply be bulldozed and “restored” later. Once blasted, once dynamited, once walled off — it is gone. This is not partisan rhetoric. Leaders across far West Texas — conservative ranchers, local officials, business owners — are sounding the alarm. Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson, put it plainly: “It’ll ruin this county. If it’s a real wall, it will devastate us. We don’t have oil and gas, we have tourism.” Tourism is the lifeblood of the region. Visitors travel from across the United States and around the world to experience Big Bend’s wilderness, river access, hiking trails, and unmatched night skies. A militarized barrier cutting through parklands will choke off access to popular destinations, discourage visitors, and shatter small businesses that depend on those dollars. And for what? Experts and local law enforcement consistently note that the rugged terrain of Big Bend is already a natural barrier. The region’s geography — sheer cliffs, remote canyons, harsh desert — makes mass crossings rare. A wall here is not security strategy; it is political theater paid for with irreversible environmental destruction. Your oath is not to a department secretary. It is not to a talking point. It is to the Constitution and to the American people. You have the authority — and the obligation — to: • Immediately investigate the mass waiver of environmental laws. • Block funding for wall construction through national park and state park lands. • Reassert congressional oversight over DHS actions taken under emergency powers. • Protect the integrity of America’s public lands for future generations. Big Bend does not belong to DHS. It does not belong to any administration. It belongs to the American people — and to the generations who have not yet had the chance to stand beneath its desert stars. History will remember whether you defended our national parks or allowed them to be sacrificed for short-term politics. Protect Big Bend. Stop this destruction before the first blast goes off.