Don’t Sacrifice Big Bend National Park for Politics

I urge you to immediately stop the construction of any new border wall through Big Bend National Park and the surrounding protected lands. This project is environmentally destructive, fiscally irresponsible, and does nothing to strengthen our nation’s security. Big Bend is one of America’s greatest national treasures, protecting more than 800,000 acres of desert, mountain, and Rio Grande ecosystems. It is home to hundreds of bird species, black bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and endangered wildlife that depend on free movement across the landscape. A border wall fragments habitat, blocks wildlife migration, accelerates erosion, increases flooding, and scars one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America. Once this damage is done, it cannot simply be undone. The financial case is equally indefensible. Border walls cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per mile to build in remote terrain, followed by millions more in long-term maintenance, road construction, flood repairs, and security infrastructure. Walls in rugged landscapes have repeatedly been damaged by floods, requiring expensive repairs while providing little additional security. Every dollar wasted on an ineffective wall is a dollar not invested in modern border technology, personnel, ports of entry, or the maintenance of our national parks. Big Bend is also an economic engine. Visitors from around the world support local businesses, hotels, restaurants, outfitters, and jobs throughout West Texas. Damaging the park threatens tourism revenue while diminishing one of America’s most iconic public lands. Congress must reject any effort to waive environmental laws or sacrifice irreplaceable public lands for a costly political project that fails both taxpayers and conservation. Protect Big Bend National Park. Protect the Rio Grande. Protect America’s natural heritage. Future generations deserve to inherit these landscapes intact—not divided by an unnecessary wall. I expect you to act. Now.