AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has ordered a federally hired contractor to stop work on state-owned land in Presidio County, alleging that workers cleared more than a mile of property without state approval for a border construction project.
Buckingham’s Texas General Land Office sent cease-and-desist letters this week to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the company leasing the property and a subcontractor involved in the project.
The land office said a federal contractor cleared vegetation and altered terrain on state property without obtaining the required written authorization. The agency said it reserves the right to pursue legal action over the alleged damage.
“This is not about border security,” Buckingham said in a statement provided to FOX 4. “It is about protecting Texas state lands.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable for any federal contractor to enter and deface Texas state lands,” she said, adding that she has a duty to protect the state’s interests.
CBP had not responded Thursday to a request for comment on the allegations.
The dispute comes as federal officials adjust plans for border infrastructure in the Big Bend region. CBP’s latest publicly available maps do not show a physical border wall planned in or around Big Bend National Park or Big Bend Ranch State Park. The maps do show other infrastructure planned in parts of far West Texas, including a bollard barrier along the western side of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
The proposed infrastructure has raised concerns among environmental groups about its potential impact on the region’s landscape and waterways.
Yolanda Alvarado of the No Big Bend Wall Coalition said opponents remain concerned about the potential environmental consequences of construction in the area, particularly flooding.
The group also questioned the need for additional border infrastructure given the comparatively low number of migrant encounters in the Big Bend Sector.
During fiscal year 2022, the Del Rio Sector recorded nearly 481,000 migrant encounters, while the Big Bend Sector recorded fewer than 32,000, according to federal data.
The cease-and-desist orders add a state-federal dispute to the broader debate over border construction in far West Texas.
The Texas General Land Office said it is prepared to take further action if work on state property continues without authorization.
