Some local residents and businesses in the Big Bend region are expressing resistance as contractors connected to proposed border wall construction begin making inquiries in the area, according to reporting by the Big Bend Sentinel.
One Terlingua electrician, Josh Flack, said he was contacted last week by someone seeking assistance supplying power for potential workforce housing camps tied to construction efforts. Flack declined the request and later posted the caller’s phone number on Facebook, asking whether anyone recognized it.
Tracing the number showed the caller works as a project engineer for Barnard Construction Co., a Montana-based firm that has previously built border wall segments in Texas and New Mexico, the Sentinel reported.
Flack told Marfa Public Radio that the Barnard representative was exploring properties in Lajitas, a detail also reported by the Sentinel.
“I just basically told him that I had an obligation to my kids to not be involved in anything like that, and that’s probably what he’s gonna get from most local businesses,” Flack told Marfa Public Radio.
In a separate incident, another Terlingua source told the Sentinel that a geologist affiliated with Rizzo International — an engineering firm that has worked on border wall projects — was asked to leave the Starlight Theatre restaurant by patrons after discussing his professional role.
Local real estate agents told the Sentinel they have received multiple inquiries related to potential property acquisition tied to construction efforts. Realtors said they are required to present all offers to clients and do not have discretion to refuse inquiries based on project type.
The outreach comes as debate over potential border wall construction in the Big Bend region continues to intensify, with some residents raising concerns about environmental impacts, tourism and the character of the remote desert community.
