Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott defended plans to build a border wall and other infrastructure in Texas' Big Bend region, in an interview with The Associated Press. Scott said the goal of strengthening the border is not open to compromise.
Scott said the $46 billion wall project is justified. Landowners, local businesses and environmentalists from both parties have opposed it, calling it a waste of taxpayer money that could harm a region with historically low migrant crossings. Scott said that if Big Bend were left without a wall while other border areas were fortified, he is "100% convinced" it would be overrun and destroyed.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered a pause on border wall construction in the region, including in Big Bend National Park. The administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift the order. After bulldozers were seen in the park in August, Scott ordered a pause on construction-related activity there. He said the agency is talking with local residents about projects in the park, but would not give specifics. The administration says it is building about 12 miles of wall a week, and the primary wall is set to be finished by the end of December 2027.