The Trump administration has begun installing border wall panels in a 47-mile stretch of West Texas known as Big Bend 1, marking the first major border wall construction in the broader Big Bend region. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that wall panel installation is underway in Hudspeth County.

The project is separate from construction activity inside Big Bend National Park, where CBP previously paused work while officials conducted an evaluation. The broader Big Bend region stretches roughly 500 miles along the Rio Grande and includes several planned border infrastructure projects.

CBP has said the border infrastructure is intended to strengthen security and prevent migrants and smugglers from shifting routes into areas without barriers. The agency is planning a combination of steel barriers, vehicle barriers, patrol roads and surveillance technology across portions of the border.

The Big Bend projects have faced opposition from landowners, environmental organizations, business owners and some local officials. Critics have argued that the region historically has experienced relatively few illegal crossings and that its rugged terrain already provides natural barriers along portions of the Rio Grande. Multiple lawsuits have also been filed seeking to stop various border infrastructure projects in the region.

The administration is nevertheless continuing with construction outside the national park. CBP has said the Big Bend projects are part of its broader effort to expand physical barriers and other border-security infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border.