"Border Wall in Big Bend Is Not Practical Or Strategic," Five Texas Border Sheriffs Say In A Joint Statement
Big Bend border sheriffs echo widespread public pushback against 30-foot-high steel wall along the Rio Grande
“The area includes nationally and internationally significant public lands, ranchlands, tourism-based economies, and critical wildlife habitat. Major permanent infrastructure, accompanied by lighting systems, access roads, and maintenance corridors would permanently alter one of the most remote and ecologically significant border landscapes in the United States.” - Bipartisan coalition of five border sheriffs in the Big Bend region in a joint statement, March 9, 2026
Today, March 9, a bipartisan coalition of all five Texas border sheriffs from the Big Bend region signed a joint statement opposing a proposed border wall along the Rio Grande.
From left to right in the photo above, they are:
Thaddeus Cleveland, Sheriff of Terrell County
Arvin West, Sheriff of Hudspeth County
Ronny Dodson, Sheriff of Brewster County
Oscar Carrillo, Sheriff of Culbertson County
Danny Dominguez, Sheriff of Presidio County
Plans for a wall on this part of the southern border have been discussed—and opposed—for years. Things became much more serious last February, however, when the Department of Homeland Security, under then-Secretary Kristi Noem, published a notice in the Federal Register, in which she outlined “immediate” plans to “construct additional physical barriers and roads” in the 517-mile Big Bend Sector.
In the notice, Noem also waived 28 environmental, conservation, and preservation laws, a truly shocking list of crucial laws that includes the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the Solid Waste Disposal Act. I listed all 28 laws here in a previous article.
Since these border wall plans were announced, pushback from local Texans has been fierce, passionate, and unrelenting. This issue has quickly grown into a massive—and urgent—fight for both private and public lands in the Big Bend region, which encompass farms, ranches, a state park, national park, and wild and scenic river.
I’ve written about this a few times before, but things keep developing so rapidly down in Texas that it’s requiring me to continue to write regular updates. Although there are other major public-land battles to be fought right now—such as the Boundary Waters in Minnesota and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, both of which I’ll focus on this week as well—it’s imperative that we keep our eyes on this particular ball, too.
A powerful example of the severity of public pushback against this wall is today’s news that five sheriffs representing five Texan border counties co-signed a letter of opposition.
I found this letter on the Facebook page of Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, who’s a Republican and regular guest on right-wing TV stations like Fox News and Newsmax.
“Many people use the phrase, ‘Border Security is National Security,’ and I’ve used that phrase myself. But the reality is that while many of us say it, and while politicians often build campaigns around it, we are still only putting band-aids on the border,” he wrote on his page. “If we truly want to treat border security as national security, building a wall through the Big Bend Region is not the answer. A wall will not stop people from crossing here.”
“Instead of relying on barricades, we should be investing in advanced technology on the ground and in the air,” Sheriff Cleveland emphasized. “Our priority is the safety of our residents and the security of our region, and we believe real solutions must reflect the realities on the ground and the perspectives of the people who live here.”
Such a stark rebuke by a Republican sheriff from southern Texas—a man who’s served in the U.S. Air Force for 2.5 years, as a U.S. Border Patrol agent for more than 26 years, and currently almost 4 years as Terrell County Sheriff—is telling.
If he doesn’t want this wall, who does? Why ignore someone who has three decades of experience working on this very border?
Yes, MAGA people from, say, Wyoming or Iowa may still be screaming “Build the Wall,” but let’s be honest here. That’s very easy to say when that wall isn’t being built in your own backyard.
And the people who live in these border counties do not want this wall—at all. In fact, they don’t even need a border wall. The rugged terrain, the river, the barren desert, the sheer canyon cliffs, the waterless mountains,… those already make up an almost-impassable border. And it’s those very landscapes that are among the most spectacular and unique in the entire United States.
That’s why there are a designated state park, national park, and wild and scenic river. This region is special. A 30-foot-high steel bollard wall would jeopardize all of it.
It would negatively affect wildlife migrations, water quality, bird habitat, and the region’s famous—and world-class—stargazing opportunities. Plus, as I’ve said before, a wall would also cut off access to the vital water of the Rio Grande for local ranchers, farmers, river outfitters, business owners, and regular folks who’ve used the river for recreation for generations.
No one who lives in this border region wants this wall. Anyone who’s been to Big Bend knows it’s not needed—and realizes it would be another ridiculous waste of taxpayer money.
Where’s the waste, fraud, and abuse Republicans love to complain about? Well, for one, you’ll find billions of dollars’ worth of it in the Republican-backed Big Bend border wall.
Let’s now get to the sheriffs’ letter, which is why I started writing this article in the first place.
“Based on decades of combined experience working this terrain, we believe that construction of a physical border wall in the Big Bend region would not represent the most practical or strategic approach to border security in this area,” they write.
The coalition of Texas border sheriffs emphasize that the region’s challenging terrain is a pretty effective deterrent, saying that the “Big Bend region […] is geographically distinct from heavily trafficked urban corridors along the southern border. Steep mountain ranges, deep canyons, expansive desert landscapes, and the Rio Grande itself create formidable natural barriers that significantly limit large-scale movement.”
They then point out that modern surveillance technology that’s already being used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been “highly effective in detecting and interdicting activity in remote terrain” and eliminates “the need for extensive permanent infrastructure.”
Crucially—and this is something Texan and national politicians should pay attention to if they truly want to help everyday Americans—the five sheriffs highlight the “unique character of the Big Bend region,” specifying that the area “includes nationally and internationally significant public lands, ranchlands, tourism-based economies, and critical wildlife habitat.”
“Major permanent infrastructure, accompanied by lighting systems, access roads, and maintenance corridors would permanently alter one of the most remote and ecologically significant border landscapes in the United States,” their letter says.
Finally, they urge “federal and state policymakers to consult directly with local law enforcement leadership and regional stakeholders before advancing permanent infrastructure projects in the Big Bend area.”
The latter is an especially interesting remark, for the simple reason that public-land management under this second Trump administration—spearheaded by oil executive and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum—claims to be all about local input and local interests.
For some reason, fascinatingly, that doesn’t seem to apply to southern Texas, historically one of the reddest and most conservative states in the nation.
Do you think federal overreach in rural Texas without even listening to local input will play well in the November midterms?
Do you think rural Texan voters will forgive the federal government for forcibly altering their way of life, destroying their livelihoods, and decimating their economies—all of which are rooted deeply, sometimes literally, in the life-giving water of the Rio Grande?
Read the Texas border sheriffs’ full joint statement below.
What Can You Do?
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve become increasingly passionate about the Big Bend border wall issue. It’s obvious that locals passionately love this place—and that passion is contagious. The more you learn about the region and the sheer threat it now faces, the more impossible it becomes to not get involved.
So, if permanently losing an extraordinary place like Big Bend triggers something in you as well, below are a number of ways you can take action and help out.
Support Advocacy Groups
If you care about the greater Big Bend area in general, please keep the pressure on. Keep supporting the local organizations who are pushing back against this ridiculously unnecessary and extremely unpopular wall:
Follow them on social media and share their posts. Support them with a donation if you can. If you’ve been to Big Bend yourself and have photos, consider sharing them on your own social media with the hashtags #nobigbendwall, #noalmuro, and #stopthesteel.
Sign the Petition
Another meaningful way to oppose the Big Bend border wall is adding your signature to this rapidly growing petition, which has amassed over 82,000 signatures at the time of writing.
Contact Your Senators and Representative (If You Live in Texas)
If you live in Texas yourself, contacting your Senators and Representative is imperative. That includes both national and state politicians, even Governor Greg Abbott himself:
Contact Your Senators (Even If You Don’t Live in Texas)
Anyone who cares about this should contact their own Senators, too. New Homeland Security Secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) will need to get confirmed by the Senate within weeks. He’ll have to answer a lot of questions, but one of those should be how he plans on managing the border in the Big Bend Sector.
This is where I believe the national public can help influence the outcome here.
Without clear guarantees that there won’t be an actual steel bollard wall through Big Bend, Markwayne Mullin should not get confirmed.
Mullin will have to testify before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, which is chaired by Rand Paul (R-KY).
Below is the contact information for all members of that committee, both Republicans and Democrats. Contact them first. Tell them to require Mullin to guarantee there will be no border wall constructed in Big Bend. Be direct, be concise, be clear, and above all, be polite.
Republicans
Rand Paul (KY) — 202-224-4343
Ron Johnson (WI) — 202-224-5323
James Lankford (OK) — 202-224-5754
Rick Scott (FL) — 202-224-5274
Josh Hawley (MO) — 202-224-6154
Bernie Moreno (OH) — 202-224-2315
Joni Ernst (IA) — 202-224-3254
Ashley Moody (FL) — 202-224-3041
Democrats
Gary Peters (MI) — 202-224-6221
Margaret Hassan (NH) — 202-224-3324
Richard Blumenthal (CT) — 202-224-2823
John Fetterman (PA) — 202-224-4254
Andy Kim (NJ) — 202-224-4744
Ruben Gallego (AZ) — 202-224-4521
Elissa Slotkin (MI) — 202-224-4822
Additionally, regardless of whether you live in Texas or not, contact the two Senators from Texas. It’s their own state’s natural crown jewel that’s at risk here. It’s their own constituents who are beyond livid about these border wall plans.
If Mullin’s nomination does make it out of committee, these two Senators will have to go on record and vote to either confirm or reject Mullin—and his plans for the Big Bend border wall.
Ted Cruz — 202-224-5922
John Cornyn — 202-224-2934
To find other Senators not mentioned above, you can call the Capitol Switchboard number and ask to be connected to their office: (202) 224-3121
Help Get the Message Out
Lastly, help spread the word. Share this article. Tell your friends, family, and neighbors about it. Awareness is powerful and may influence people’s voting behavior in the future.
Thanks for helping to protect our public lands and waters!
See you out there,
Bram
Image 1: Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland Facebook page
Image 2: NPS / CNegele
Image 3: Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland Facebook page