Texas landowners sue to stop border work through Big Bend under $46bn federal push

Texas landowners, ranchers and business owners are taking legal action to stop the Trump administration from building border walls and related infrastructure through the remote Big Bend region, arguing that the area does not face the high levels of illegal crossings used to justify the construction. The Associated Press and ABC News reported that the lawsuit was filed by Conserve Big Bend, a nonprofit focused on protecting the region’s landscape and heritage, along with six landowners, with dozens of others living along the border supporting the legal challenge. The case comes as the Trump administration pushes ahead with a $46 billion effort to secure the roughly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border. The plan includes 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and surveillance technology intended to prevent migrants and smugglers from crossing into the country.In Texas, the border project has faced resistance from landowners, environmental groups, local officials, sheriffs and tourism operators.