ALPINE, TX – During a Friday press briefing, the White House announced that around 500 troops and combat vehicles would be deployed along the border, including in Big Bend National Park. According to reports, around 200 troops are already in the area. The Big Bend area historically sees very few border crossings, meaning that tax dollars are yet again being wasted on a political stunt.
In response, Dave Cortez, director of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, said:
“The Chisos Basin, South Rim, Boquillas Crossing, Santa Elena Canyon: these are sacred places to First Nations peoples, to Texans, to our neighbors in Mexico, and to all those who’ve traveled to experience the majesty of Big Bend National Park. Visitors and locals know these lands to be places of cooperation, friendship, and peace. Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Pete Hegseth would be well served to unplug and reconnect with the power of these lands, but instead, they’ve chosen to continue to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy by militarizing the park. Fronterizas and Borderland residents like me know all too well the history of dangers presented by a militarized border. Our people and communities deserve better, and will continue to resist yet another example of Trump’s authoritarianism.”
In response, Sherman Neal II, deputy director of the Sierra Club Military Outdoors campaign, and United States Marine Corps veteran said:
“Demonstrations over the past several weeks at our parks have shown that hate has no place in our parks. Gateway communities to our national parks understand their economic viability isn’t tied to the chilling effects of militarization, but nested in becoming more inclusive communities for all of us. At a time where park visitation is at an all-time high and apprehension at the border at an all-time low, we must resist the administration’s attempts to exploit our vulnerable populations by manufacturing crises rooted in xenophobia and disinformation. We’d be better served supporting programs that help more servicemembers, military families and military communities find healing in the outdoors in addition to the more than 500,000 visitors Big Bend National Park sees each year.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
