Customs and Border Protection is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while Commissioner Rodney Scott conducts an on-the-ground evaluation. The pause comes after mounting bipartisan opposition and multiple lawsuits challenging border wall-related work in the Texas national park.

Scott said in a video posted to X that he landed in Texas and was heading to visit the park to talk with local law enforcement and other stakeholders. 'Last night, I put a pause on all activity in that park as far as construction goes till I can get down there and do a personal evaluation,' Scott said in the video.

The construction pause follows reporting about the government's use of heavy machinery to bulldoze and excavate parts of the national park to build patrol roads and vehicle barriers. The activity prompted protests in and around the park, with local businesses turning away federal contractors working on the project.

CBP was building parts of a 'limited' barrier in the park instead of a 30-foot wall as initially planned. The broader project for the Big Bend Sector includes 175 miles of 30-foot steel bollard wall along the Rio Grande west of the national park, 200 miles of patrol roads, and 17 miles of vehicle barriers in specific locations within the park. The entire project is expected to cost more than $7 billion, covered by the $46.5 billion allocated for border wall construction in President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.'

At least four lawsuits have been filed this year attempting to challenge or thwart the government's border project in the Big Bend region. Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat, filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the proposed barriers. Gutierrez said the project threatens sacred land, archaeological sites and national resources, and claimed crews have already clear-cut roughly two miles of land.

One new lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and includes the People of La Junta for Preservation and Christina Hernandez, a member of the Lipan Apache Tribe who believes the border plan violates her religious freedoms. Hernandez says she practices a Native religion tied to the geography of the area, and the government's border project would cut off access to sites where she practices her religion.

Republican Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland applauded Commissioner Scott's decision to halt construction. Cleveland, a former Border Patrol agent before being elected sheriff, said he's been encouraging Scott to visit for months. 'I'm glad Commissioner Scott is finally coming out to the Big Bend,' Cleveland told ABC News. 'I've believed from the first announcement that the original plan was flawed.'

Cleveland, who worked for Border Patrol for 26 years, has publicly opposed CBP's plans for physical barriers in the region, arguing they're unnecessary and ineffective. He said the border isn't one-size-fits-all for walls and hopes Scott considers halting construction at other sectors as well.

Local business owners welcomed Scott's pause but remained cautious.

Despite containing about 517 miles of the Southern border along the Rio Grande, the Big Bend region accounts for only about 1% of border apprehensions, in part due to the area's rugged terrain. To expedite the process, the Department of Homeland Security has waived numerous laws protecting environmental, historical, and cultural resources, including the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act.

Scott is expected to meet with Cleveland and other law enforcement leaders this week. More lawsuits are expected, local stakeholders told CNN. A federal judge has already sided with the Trump administration in one lawsuit, allowing the government to proceed with construction plans through a levee system in Presidio, Texas.

Simon Conway