Construction work is moving forward in Big Bend National Park as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to add new security measures along the southern border, despite continued efforts from locals to stop a project they say will change the landscape. Videos recorded by local photographers and advocates show the first signs of construction. Southwest Valley Constructors has a $1.7 billion contract to build new roads, vehicle barriers, lights, towers and surveillance platforms. There are currently no plans for a 30-foot-high steel wall like those built in other areas. The first layer of security is expected to be completed by next year. Rules protecting wildlife, the environment and archaeological sites are being waived as part of the project. For Michael Ryan, a former river guide and ranger who lives in Terlingua and grew up around Big Bend National Park, the heavy machinery is a sign of unwanted change. “I know what comes after them. I know that this is just like someone coming in and kind of clearing out the area before the big stuff comes in,” Ryan said. Big Bend National Park has become the center of a regional debate over the border security project. “We feel crushed by this absurdity, this absurd notion that they have to come in here and put all this infrastructure, and to see the scale of it,” Ryan explained, “they have just come in and taken complete operational control of Big Bend National Park.” The Trump administration aims to follow through on its promise to secure every mile of the southern border to prevent immigrants from crossing into the country illegally. This section of the border has some of the lowest numbers of border crossings, leading to what has been described as a “small wall” plan. Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican statewide leaders have so far rejected calls to fight the effort. Previous lawsuits have delayed construction but have not stopped it. Videos recorded this week show the work moving forward. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less