Federal contractors begin border barrier construction near Santa Elena Canyon, inside Big Bend National Park. August 6, 2026. credit: Natalie Newman.
NPCA urges the administration to implement alternatives to damaging border barriers and other heavy infrastructure in this wild place. There is still a chance for us to save Big Bend, and there is still an opportunity for the administration to change course.
November 10, 2026 - WASHINGTON - On Monday afternoon, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s preliminary injunction that had barred the Trump administration from constructing new border barriers, patrol roads, and other damaging infrastructure at Big Bend National Park.
This new decision from the Supreme Court will greenlight further damaging construction in this national park and the surrounding region. The National Parks Conservation Association joined Sierra Club along with its Lone Star Chapter in filing an amicus brief supporting plaintiff the Center for Biological Diversity and partners in this suit. NPCA and the Sierra Club are represented by Earthjustice.
In August, federal contractors authorized by Customs and Border Protection began bulldozing miles of sensitive habitat, causing heartbreaking damage near popular areas of Big Bend National Park, including Santa Elena Canyon, Cottonwood Campground, and Mariscal Canyon.
Just last week, ProPublica reported that border wall construction activity at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument unearthed Native American ancestral remains. The administration has waived bedrock environmental laws designed to protect national parks like Big Bend and Organ Pipe by requiring extensive review for these types of projects.
Cary Dupuy, Texas Regional Director for the National Parks Conservation Association, said in a statement:
“The administration is so hellbent on destroying Big Bend National Park that they have successfully appealed to the highest court in our land to let them start their bulldozers right back up again. We are disappointed in the court’s ruling setting this preliminary injunction aside.
“National park advocates in Texas and across the country are profoundly disheartened to see the highest court in the land greenlight bulldozing through Big Bend National Park to build border infrastructure. Just last week, border wall construction in Arizona disturbed Native American remains. Circumventing our nation’s bedrock environmental and cultural preservation laws to build massive border infrastructure will have profound consequences.
“Our national parks are meant to be set aside from harmful development and safeguarded under the highest standard possible under American law. Regardless of the court’s decision, we urge the administration to implement alternatives to damaging border barriers and other heavy infrastructure in this wild place. There is still a chance for us to save Big Bend, and there is still an opportunity for the administration to change course.”
About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit [www.npca.org].
Source: National Parks Conservation Association
