The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is defending a $46 billion plan to build a wall and other barriers in the Big Bend region of Texas. A federal judge has ordered construction there to stop for now. Commissioner Rodney Scott said in an interview with the Associated Press that the goal of fortifying the border is "non-negotiable" 1.
Scott said the project is justified even though landowners, local businesses and environmentalists are against it. The Guardian, reporting on the AP interview, describes that opposition as bipartisan. Those opponents see the wall as a waste of taxpayer money that could damage an area with historically low migrant crossings 1.
What Scott said
Our number one goal right out the gate is we have to know who and what is coming into the United States
Scott said that if Big Bend were left without a wall while other border areas get one, he is "100% convinced it will be completely overrun and destroyed" 1. He is a former Border Patrol agent, and President Trump chose him to complete the border barrier 1.
The court fight
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered a halt to construction on Oct. 2 while the case moves forward. Her order covers roughly 500 miles of the project area. It reaches Big Bend National Park and private or state-owned land upriver and downriver from the park 2.
The case turns on waivers signed by the Homeland Security secretary. These let CBP bypass environmental and other rules. Opponents argue that Congress limited that power to areas of high illegal entry, and that Big Bend does not fit that description 2.
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Oct. 21, asking the justices to lift the order 2. I found no report yet on whether the court has acted.
Scott said the huge steel fences will not go up inside the national park because of the ongoing lawsuits 1. In August, bulldozers were spotted tearing up ground in the park. Scott then ordered a pause on all construction-related activity there and said he would talk to people in the region 1.
The bigger plan
Congress, with Republicans in control, funded the wall plan last summer. It calls for steel fences 30 feet high, vehicle barriers, new roads and surveillance technology along the roughly 2,000-mile border with Mexico 1. The administration says it is building about 12 miles a week. Scott said the primary wall will be done by the end of December 2027 1.
Opponents also say other tools, such as drones and surveillance towers, can work as well as walls at much lower cost 2. The Guardian describes Big Bend as a major test of how far the administration will go to shut off the border 1.
That matters because the price tag is large and the location is disputed. A judge has found that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on at least one of their legal claims 2. If the Supreme Court sides with the administration, work could resume in an area where even some Republican lawmakers have objected 1. If it does not, the order stays in place while the case proceeds 2.
The Record
- Bulldozers were spotted tearing up ground in Big Bend National Park, and Scott ordered a pause on construction-related activity there 1.
- Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered construction halted across roughly 500 miles of the Big Bend project area while the case proceeds 2.
- The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to lift the order 2.
- Scott told the Associated Press the border fortification goal is non-negotiable 1.
Sources
- The Guardian, “Trump's top border official defends Big Bend border wall plan despite mounting opposition” (2026-10-23). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/trump-border-official-bi
- AP via Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Trump administration asks Supreme Court to lift halt on Big Bend border wall” (2026-10-21). ajc.com/news/2026/10/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court
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