Trump pauses controversial border construction in Texas national park

The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily pausing construction of a contentious border project in Texas' Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building the wall visits to do an “on-the-ground evaluation”. The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce bipartisan opposition from critics who say it is marring the area's pristine environment. They argue the region's rugged and remote terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Border crossings in the area have historically been lower than in other regions and have dropped even further over the past two years. “CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Rodney Scott, who heads Customs and Border Protection, said on X. Scott said over the next couple of days he was going to “listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders” to address what he said were “real” national security threats while protecting the park. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to questions about how long the construction was paused or give any details on whom Scott would ...