Several prominent Texans and wildlife advocates slammed the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, Nov. 9, that allowed the Department of Homeland Security to build a border wall through Big Bend National Park.
"The Trump administration and its contractors are hellbent on destroying one of America’s greatest national parks, and the Supreme Court just gave them the green light," Laiken Jordahl, a national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement following the ruling. "This horrific decision clears the way for contractors to bulldoze pristine desert and dynamite canyon walls."
Reactions from those passionate about the West Texas park come after a protracted fight over whether the border wall should be built.
Texans of all stripes have condemned the project, USA TODAY previously reported, saying the low levels of migrants crossing through the area mean a border wall isn’t merited and that building one would destroy a national treasure.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and for information on when the department might begin building in the park again.
Border Patrol officials have previously said they are not building a wall through the area but are clearing the way for roads where they can install surveillance equipment and patrol the area, USA TODAY previously reported. But top Trump officials celebrated the Supreme Court's decision allowing wall construction.
The Supreme Court’s decision also comes at an inflection point in the Lone Star state, which last week elected its first Democratic senator since 1988 and first Democratic governor since 1990.
Among those coming out against the court’s decision was the state’s outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
"A border wall is not the best solution for portions of this environment," Cornyn wrote in a column for the San Antonio Express-News published Nov. 9, noting the potential negative impact of construction on local businesses and low levels of illegal crossings in the area. "Big Bend deserves border security that reflects the realities of its geography, the input and experience of local law enforcement, and the rights of the people who live there."
Also coming out against the construction was the area’s new U.S. House of Representatives member, Rep.-elect Katy Padilla Stout, a Democrat. Her predecessor, a Republican, retired.
"No Wall At Big Bend. No Exceptions," the incoming representative for the state’s 23rd House district wrote in a statement. "I am ready for this fight. We will Defend the Bend!"
The fight over construction in the region began in earnest in mid-August when contractors began bulldozing access roads through the area. Videos recorded by outraged activists captured bulldozers and track hoes cutting through the desert soil and across cliffs.
Some Texans in the Big Bend area told USA TODAY in April that they fear construction in the area could jeopardize the landscape that drawsmore than half a million visitors annually and drives the local economy.
They said the landscape also already serves as a natural barrier to migrant crossings, arguing that the mountains, remote desert and extreme weather are their own deterrent.
The Border Patrol's own numbers bear it out. The 500-mile Big Bend Sector is the largest of the Southwest border's nine sectors. It represents nearly a quarter of the U.S.-Mexico border in distance but consistently records the lowest number of illegal crossings.
Contributing by USA TODAY Supreme Court Correspondent Maureen Groppe, National Correspondent Trevor Hughes and former USA TODAY immigration reporter Lauren Villagran.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Horrific decision': These Texans bashed the Supreme Court's Big Bend ruling
