Border Wall Construction Begins in Big Bend, Drawing Bipartisan Pushback

Lawmakers and residents of Texas on both sides of the political aisle are expressing their concern as bulldozers tear across Big Bend National Park to create a new border wall. Here is a look at the brewing controversy.

President Trump Met with Resistance Over Border Wall in Texas

For centuries, the natural terrain of Texas' Big Bend region has served as an effective deterrent against illegal immigrants. The idea of building physical structures to stop migration was unheard of. However, that is all changing under the leadership of President Donald Trump, as he continues his goal of protecting the southern border of the U.S. with a wall.

This remote part of the Lone Star State only experiences about 1% of the country's unauthorized border crossings. But that is not stopping the White House from trying to add an extra barrier of protection, much to the chagrin of many Democrats and even some Republicans.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency is not planning to add the 30-foot-high barrier that has been constructed in some areas of Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona. However, bulldozers have still been observed digging up trees and destroying some of the landscape. The CBP said that the activity is preliminary work in advance of the $1.72 billion construction project slated within the beloved national park.