Big Bend Residents Rally Against Border Wall

Up to 2,000 folks rallied on the steps of the Texas Capitol Saturday, pushing back hard

against plans for a border wall in the Big Bend region.

Local residents, even some Border Patrol voices, are united in opposition to this project,

slicing through their pristine desert lands.

DHS keeps flipping the script on their so-called smart wall maps, first pulling detection

tech from Big Bend National Park, then limiting actual wall.

This despots from Bedford to Ruudosa, including historic Presidio.

These back and forth changes have locals and towns like Terlingua and Marfa feeling straight

up distrustful and anxious.

People there depend on tourism to Big Bend National Park and State Park for their livelihoods.

Think river guides, hotels and campsites.

Groups like Save the Big Bend and the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, a any wall would

wreck the ecology and scare off visitors, tanking the economy.

It keeps the area alive, opposition crosses party lines from Republicans to Democrats.

Speakers at the Austin Rally included former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson,

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, and a leap in Apache member leading chance, like this land is

ours.

Meanwhile, kayakers protested right along the Rio Grande and Santa Helena Canyon with

signs everywhere screaming, stop the steel and save the Big Bend.

The pressure already forced the feds to redraw plans, sparing some park areas for now,

but reports show contractors kicking off work in Ruudosa.

Locals aren't backing down, they're ready to keep the fight going against any wall threatening

their home.

That's your update from El Paso News today, powered by AI.

I'm Corey with the story.