Overview
- CBP updated its public map to show large stretches of the Big Bend region secured by detection technology after bipartisan pushback from five county sheriffs.
- Despite the map change, DHS has awarded more than $3 billion in barrier contracts, including awards to Fisher Sand & Gravel and Barnard Construction with work starting March 5 and running into 2027–2028 in areas tied to Terlingua and Sierra Blanca.
- Letters to landowners outline three paths: a temporary right-of-entry for construction, sale of an easement, or referral to the Justice Department for condemnation under the Declaration of Taking Act.
- More than 130 conservation and community groups asked Congress to bar funding for physical barriers in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, citing risks to wildlife, cultural resources, and the tourism economy.
- A Federal Register notice issued by DHS waives numerous environmental and historic-protection laws to fast-track construction, even as local officials note the sector historically records low illegal-entry activity and favor surveillance tools like drones, cameras, and radar.