Act

Dear [Representative Name],

I am writing to express my deep concern about the proposed border wall construction through Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park in Far West Texas.

The Department of Homeland Security has waived 28 federal laws, including the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, to fast-track this project. This action threatens:

• 116 miles of irreplaceable National Park land along the Rio Grande corridor
• 20 miles of riverfront state park land in Big Bend Ranch State Park
• Thousands of years of wildlife corridors used by mountain lions, Mexican black bears, and other migratory species
• Internationally recognized and protected night skies
• Beloved public sites including Big Bend Hot Springs, Hoodoos & Balanced Rock Trail, and river access to Colorado Canyon

I am equally alarmed by the company selected to manage this project. Parsons Government Services Inc. was awarded a $609,410,737 contract despite a documented 30-year record of compliance failures, including:

• Two False Claims Act settlements totaling $7 million for knowingly overbilling the U.S. government (1995 and 2015)
• Over $4 billion in Iraq reconstruction contracts marred by mass terminations, including a $243 million healthcare clinic contract where only 6 of 150 facilities were completed, with $186 million of taxpayer money spent
• Federal criminal convictions of Parsons employees for a kickback conspiracy involving $23 million in tainted subcontracts
• Department of Energy notices citing "degrading performance" and up to $33 million in threatened disincentive fees on a $2.3 billion nuclear waste facility
• Five securities law firms opening fraud investigations in February 2025, triggered by financial disclosures made just two days after the border wall contract was awarded

This is the company now entrusted with managing one of the most consequential and environmentally sensitive infrastructure projects in America, with 28 environmental laws waived and minimal oversight mechanisms in place.

Big Bend's harsh terrain already serves as a natural barrier, and the data proves it. CBP's own numbers show that out of nearly 28,000 encounters logged across the entire southwest border this fiscal year, only 734 were in the Big Bend Sector (just 2.6%). The Rio Grande Valley saw 5,800; El Paso saw 4,900. Even at its all-time peak, the Big Bend Sector recorded roughly 12,000 encounters for all of FY 2023, a number other sectors have exceeded in a single day. Industrializing this pristine landscape will decimate the local tourism economy and permanently scar our state's most iconic public lands. I urge you to immediately intervene, demand a full review of the Parsons contract award, require transparency in the border wall program, and halt the physical wall construction in the Big Bend region.

Our public lands are not expendable. Our tax dollars deserve better stewardship.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]