08/18/2026
My family’s been ranching in the gateway to the Big Bend in West Texas since 1905.
I absolutely love Big Bend National Park, in all its rugged, isolated glory.
I’ve been a regular visitor to the park all my life. From rafting the Rio Grande with my family, to studying the geology of Santa Elena Canyon, taking a truckload of Aggies to Boquillas during spring break trips, and even hiking in the Chisos last month, I’ve enjoyed so many of the natural wonders offered by Big Bend.
As a West Texan, it’s frustrating to see Big Bend become the center of a political firestorm.
Like many of you, I’ve been following recent Big Bend developments, and have heard so many conflicting reports.
So I decided to load up the truck Saturday and head down to the border to see everything for myself.
Not because I can legally do anything to stop it; I can’t. Not because I fully support everything that’s happening; I don’t. I wanted to see everything with clear eyes and an open mind.
But really, I just went because I give a damn about Big Bend.
A significant development has taken place today (August 17th): Commissioner Rodney Scott has asked for a pause on all construction activity in Big Bend National Park, while he personally visits the park to evaluate the project. I applaud Commissioner Scott’s decision and actions!
Before I share my takeaways from Saturday, let me make a few things clear:
First, Big Bend National Park is 100% federal property. As such, it is completely outside the jurisdiction of the State of Texas, and as a state official, I have no vote in the federal lawmaking process.
Second, I’m also a taxpayer who expects government at every level to spend the public’s money wisely, strategically, and in a cost-effective manner. And, I’m a conservative Republican in the Texas House of Representatives with a long voting record of supporting border security.
With that out of the way, I want to talk about what I saw on Saturday, and what I’ve done to communicate concerns that I’ve heard from many of you. And, at the end, I might have some unsolicited advice to offer.
When I entered Big Bend National Park using the U.S. 385 entrance from Marathon, nothing appeared unusual for the first hour inside the park.
On the road between Castalon and Santa Elena Canyon, is where I first encountered evidence of construction: mostly just a few dirt movers sitting on or near a freshly-cleared roadway.
Presumably, this is one of the new patrol roads that is the main component of the planned construction, with the others being vehicle barriers in key locations, in addition to smart technology (which for the most part, will be invisible to park visitors).
I can see why some people may have concerns about the patrol roads, although they are substantially less invasive than a 30-foot bollard wall. One peculiar part I observed is that in some places, the new patrol road is located just a few feet away from the existing park road.
Although I saw social media posts depicting a bulldozer at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon, I found no such activity, nor any evidence of such activity, at the mouth of the canyon, where Terlingua Creek converges with the Rio Grande.
I didn’t see any blasting or anything resembling that, despite some social media accounts alleging that.
As you know, Big Bend National Park is massive, and I wasn’t able to cover every part of the park in my day-long visit.
If you don’t want anything in Big Bend changed, then I can see why any amount construction will not be acceptable. I get that, and I don’t expect to change anyone’s mind about that.
After taking a look at everything, I personally believe that the border security mission of CBP can still be achieved with significantly fewer changes than what has been most recently proposed.
Based on conversations with many of you, I get the feeling that most West Texans who are paying attention, have a similar take (at a minimum).
With that in mind, today I provided a letter to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, thanking him for his pause and his visit to Big Bend, and also encouraging him to more narrowly tailor the project to meet the objective in a manner that has the least invasive impact possible on the park. I’ve included my letter in the comments below.
Many of you likely remain skeptical, and I get that. I’m skeptical of most things government says/does. There’s nothing wrong with being vigilant about a cause you believe in.
If you have a chance to visit Big Bend National Park in the coming days or weeks, I encourage you to do so. Even with all the coverage on the construction, there’s no substitute for seeing everything yourself, in reality, not on social media.
Whether you can make the trip or not, I’m thrilled by the passion I see for Big Bend. I love the First Amendment and our right to protest and redress our grievances. I also acknowledge that the formal mechanisms normally provided to the public were frustratingly not available in many respects.
And that leads me to the unsolicited advice: be truthful in your statements. Your voice is most effective when it is true and sincere. Hyperbole, exaggeration and conflation work to undermine your message. Ultimately, you will have to convince policymakers to agree with you, and getting caught in a fib, will do much more harm than good, in my observation.
That’s it for now. God bless Texas!
