The Trump administration begins construction of the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border in western Texas, despite opposition from property owners and environmentalists

The Trump administration has begun installing panels for the border wall along a 75-kilometer segment in Hudspeth County, in the Big Bend region of western Texas. It is the first major construction project in an area where the initiative has faced opposition from landowners, environmentalists, business owners, and ranchers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that work is taking place in the “Big Bend 1” sector, part of an approximately 800-kilometer region stretching between southern El Paso and Amistad Reservoir. The steel panels are approximately nine meters high.

The project is part of a plan estimated at $46 billion, which includes walls, patrol roads, and technological systems to secure the border with Mexico. CBP says the pace of construction has doubled and that an average of 19 kilometers of barriers are being erected each week. The agency says it has already built approximately 320 kilometers of new barriers since the start of the Trump administration’s term.

Work in Hudspeth County is separate from a project in Big Bend National Park, which has been temporarily suspended for consultations. Opponents argue that the area is isolated and is not a major point for illegal migration. Several groups have filed a lawsuit to block the project, while some landowners have refused to grant authorities and contractors access to their properties.