Why a border wall divides even Trump voters in Texas
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What divided Republicans and Democrats regarding the border wall?
In the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, perhaps nothing divided Republicans and Democrats more than the idea of a border wall stretching along America's southern border with Mexico.
I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.
More than a decade on, those sentiments have now shifted sharply during the second presidency of Donald Trump.
Do Democrats want the wall or do Republicans want the wall? I haven't found either side that wants a wall. So it's a unified consensus. I mean, I would say, best I can tell from people I've talked to, 99.9%. I haven't found anybody yet that wants a wall down here.
What are the local sentiments in Big Bend about the border wall?
That was Starlight Theater restaurant owner Bill Ivey, a three-time Trump voter and Texan through and through. It turns out that nimbyism runs deep in the Big Bend region of Texas, a place where the majestic Rio Grande swirls its way through jagged canyons. For many here, Republicans and Democrats alike, the idea of a Big Bend border wall is now being met with a resounding, not in my backyard. Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Friday, April 3rd, 2026. USA Today national news reporter Lauren Villagran traveled to Big Bend, Texas, to listen to the concerns of those who feel threatened by the president's plan to spend billions on a border wall in the region. So good to have you back on The Excerpt, Lauren.
Thanks, Dana. Lauren, as I mentioned, you were just there speaking with people in the area.
Who are the key voices opposing the border wall in Big Bend?
What's the mood in Big Bend right now?
Well, Dana, it is fired up is how I would describe it. I don't think I met a single person in four days in the region who didn't have something to say about President Donald Trump's plans to build a border barrier in that region.
Opposition to the construction of the wall has turned into a mission for people like wedding photographer Anna Claire Beasley. Let's listen to some of what she shared with you regarding her concerns about the wall.
What I've said is that there's not a crisis right now, but there will be if this wall is built and if this goes through without them consulting with local law enforcement and taking a really informed approach and listening to local voices. Because yeah, there's just so many what ifs. Are they going to be building roads throughout the park for this detection technology? What is that dust going to do to our night sky? Which is one of the main reasons that people come here.
What environmental concerns are raised about building a border wall?
I do a lot of astrophotography. That's something couples get so excited about. What happens when that's gone?
Lauren, how did this bipartisan drumbeat of opposition to a border wall in the Big Bend region begin?
So President Trump, upon taking office in 2025, did send indications that he intended to continue border wall construction. Then last year, when he signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that bill gave more than $45 billion for border barrier construction. Now, the local Big Bend Sentinel, a local newspaper, began a drumbeat of stories on the contracts being issued and the plans being signed. announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. And many people, Dana, told me that at first they didn't really believe that anything was going to happen.
How has the opposition to the border wall evolved in the Big Bend region?
Trump, as you know, has been talking about a border wall since at least 2015. That was one of the big promises of his 2015 campaign. And he did build hundreds of miles of border fencing, though much of it was replacement fencing. In February, the plans became increasingly real as contractors began showing up on the ground and landowners, Dana, began receiving eminent domain notices. Essentially, the federal government saying, we're going to strike a deal with you to take part of your land or else.
Before her departure, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem launched an official color-coded smart wall. What is that and how is it being used?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What divided Republicans and Democrats regarding the border wall?
0:05–1:00
2
What are the local sentiments in Big Bend about the border wall?
1:00–2:00
3
Who are the key voices opposing the border wall in Big Bend?
2:00–2:56
4
What environmental concerns are raised about building a border wall?
2:56–3:48
5
How has the opposition to the border wall evolved in the Big Bend region?
3:48–4:39
6
What alternatives to a physical border wall do locals prefer?
4:39–5:59
7
How does eminent domain affect landowners in Texas?
5:59–6:48
8
What personal stories highlight the impact of the border wall on residents?
6:48–15:23
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from The Excerpt
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