State Sen. Roland Gutierrez criticized the federal government’s border construction activities in Big Bend National Park, accusing officials of failing to adequately explain the work to nearby communities and questioning the need for a man-made barrier in the rugged border landscape.
Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat whose district includes much of the Big Bend region, posted remarks from inside the national park after traveling there to see the construction activity firsthand.
“The fact is the federal government has already begun clear-cutting for a wall down in Big Bend,” Gutierrez said. “They won’t tell this community what it’s about. They won’t say if it’s a wall or a road or obstacle. They have failed this community.”
Gutierrez questioned the rationale for spending federal money on additional barriers in an area where the Rio Grande runs through steep, mountainous terrain.
“Do you really think that we need a wall here?” Gutierrez said, pointing to the landscape. “That’s Santa Elena Canyon. That’s a natural wall.”
The senator used profanity while sharply criticizing President Donald Trump and the administration’s border policies, arguing that taxpayer dollars should not be spent on what he characterized as an unnecessary project in one of the country’s national parks.
Gutierrez also accused Texas’ Republican statewide leadership of failing to protect the region’s interests. He singled out Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying they had not done enough to safeguard state lands and communities near the federal project.
“Nothing has been done by the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, Ken Paxton, the attorney general, hasn’t done anything to safeguard our interest on the state park adjacent to this area,” Gutierrez said.
Big Bend Ranch State Park stretches along the Rio Grande immediately west of Big Bend National Park, making state and federal land-management decisions along the border particularly significant for the region.
“We deserve better. We deserve more from government,” Gutierrez said. “We deserve leaders that actually give a shit about us.”
