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Ongoing story / Big Bend

Trump's border wall in Texas's Big Bend region and the fight to stop it

Overview · reviewed November 12, 2026

In the summer of 2026, the Trump administration began building border barriers, roads and other infrastructure in Texas's remote Big Bend region, including inside Big Bend National Park, drawing bipartisan opposition.[1][2][3] After work began at the mouth of the park's Santa Elena Canyon, Customs and Border Protection paused construction,[4][5] and in October a federal judge in El Paso blocked further building in the park.[6] On November 9 the Supreme Court paused that order and let construction resume.[7] The agency's top official has defended the project.[8]

Read the timeline

Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

After work began at the mouth of the park's Santa Elena Canyon, Customs and Border Protection paused construction,[4][5] and in October a federal judge in El Paso blocked further building in the park.[6] On November 9 the Supreme Court paused that order and let construction resume.[7] The agency's top official has defended the project.[8]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-06-29 (UTC): under 1%, 1 of 569 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 1%, 5 of 560 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 561 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 537 tracked outlets (0 left, 4 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 5%, 26 of 545 tracked outlets (3 left, 22 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 9%, 41 of 464 tracked outlets (8 left, 27 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 466 tracked outlets (1 left, 7 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 5%, 26 of 480 tracked outlets (8 left, 15 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): 7%, 33 of 476 tracked outlets (8 left, 17 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 479 tracked outlets (2 left, 1 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 6%, 29 of 479 tracked outlets (6 left, 16 center, 7 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): 12%, 58 of 474 tracked outlets (13 left, 27 center, 18 right), so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 4 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (12 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 9, 2026 (so far)13271858 of 47412%
Oct 19, 2026616729 of 4796%
Oct 5, 20262103 of 4791%
Sep 28, 2026817833 of 4767%
Sep 14, 2026815326 of 4805%
Aug 24, 20261719 of 4662%
Aug 17, 2026827641 of 4649%
Aug 10, 2026322126 of 5455%
Aug 3, 20260404 of 5371%
Jul 27, 20260336 of 5611%
Jul 6, 20260145 of 5601%
Jun 29, 20260101 of 569under 1%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 8, 2026 · first reported · Headline from KYMA Yuma

    SCOTUS allows border wall construction in Big Bend region of Texas

Background

In July federal maps showed plans for a wall near Big Bend Ranch State Park,[9] and crews prepared to install a 30-foot border wall, paved roads, vehicle barriers and technology in and around the national park.[1] Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a cease-and-desist letter to the agency and its contractor,[10] and a dozen lawmakers, most from Texas, urged the administration not to build a road inside the park.[11] In August the agency said it would not build a 30-foot wall or stadium lighting through the park and nearby state lands, opting for patrol roads, technology and vehicle barriers,[12][13] even as bulldozers began plowing near Santa Elena Canyon.[4]

The administration paused construction in the park after the bipartisan pushback and then extended the pause.[2][5] Landowners, ranchers, business owners and a nonprofit sued in September,[14] as the agency pressed ahead in the wider region.[15] In October the federal judge blocked further construction inside the park,[6] and Rodney Scott, the agency's commissioner, defended the plans.[8]

On November 9, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to continue border wall construction in the Big Bend region, including inside Big Bend National Park, pausing the lower court's order while the case continues. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only noted dissent.[7]

Supporting stories (15)
  1. Installation of Big Bend border wall set for August in Texas
  2. State of Texas: Big Bend construction paused, but for how long?
  3. Big Bend residents warn Trump's border wall threatens Texas wilderness
  4. Bulldozers rip into Big Bend National Park, driving anger and heartbreak
  5. Federal government extends pause on Big Bend National Park border construction until mid-September
  6. A Federal Judge Slams the Brakes on Big Bend Border Wall Construction
  7. Supreme Court clears the way for border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend to resume
  8. Trump administration appeals Big Bend border construction halt to Supreme Court
  9. Border wall through Big Bend state park in “planning stages” as updated map includes 2-mile barrier
  10. Texas Land commissioner orders feds to stop ‘illegally’ clearing state border tract
  11. Border wall construction begins in Big Bend National Park
  12. Border wall construction begins in Big Bend National Park in Texas
  13. CBP chief reaffirms border wall is not being built at Big Bend parks
  14. Texas landowners sue to block Trump border wall plans in the remote Big Bend region
  15. Work begins on border wall in Texas

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 16 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Supreme Court clears the way for border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend to resumeHeadline from KOB 4 · 61 outlets

October 2026

  1. Trump administration appeals Big Bend border construction halt to Supreme CourtHeadline from Fox7 Austin · 31 outlets
  2. A Federal Judge Slams the Brakes on Big Bend Border Wall ConstructionHeadline from Mother Jones · 32 outlets

September 2026

  1. Trump administration considers scaling back border project in Texas’ Big Bend National ParkHeadline from Bangor Daily News · 11 outlets
  2. Work begins on border wall in TexasHeadline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · 21 outlets
  3. Texas landowners sue to block Trump border wall plans in the remote Big Bend regionHeadline from MyNorthwest · 17 outlets

August 2026

  1. Federal government extends pause on Big Bend National Park border construction until mid-SeptemberHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 9 outlets
  2. State of Texas: Big Bend construction paused, but for how long?Headline from KXAN Austin · 5 outlets
  3. Big Bend residents warn Trump's border wall threatens Texas wildernessHeadline from CBS News · 42 outlets
  4. CBP chief reaffirms border wall is not being built at Big Bend parksHeadline from Border Report · 3 outlets
  5. Bulldozers rip into Big Bend National Park, driving anger and heartbreakHeadline from KTVZ Bend · 13 outlets
  6. Border wall construction begins in Big Bend National Park in TexasHeadline from 13News Now Norfolk · 11 outlets
  7. Border wall construction begins in Big Bend National ParkHeadline from News West 9 · 4 outlets

July 2026

  1. Texas Land commissioner orders feds to stop ‘illegally’ clearing state border tractHeadline from Odessa American · 6 outlets
  2. Installation of Big Bend border wall set for August in TexasHeadline from The Center Square · 5 outlets
  3. Border wall through Big Bend state park in “planning stages” as updated map includes 2-mile barrierHeadline from KVUE · 1 outlet

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →