Two groups of National Park Service retirees are urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to release more information about an expanding military presence in Texas’ Big Bend National Park, which is on the border with Mexico.
The Trump administration has ordered roughly 500 U.S. service members, as well as armored tactical vehicles to the Big Bend region, which includes the national park, to buttress the ranks of U.S. Border Patrol agents and reduce immigration.
Former NPS rangers who are part of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and the Association of National Park Rangers sent a joint letter to Burgum on Friday requesting more public information about the troop presence in the park.
“Our concern is not the presence of the Army along the border, or even in the national park, but the potential for damage to irreplaceable resources, park infrastructure, and the risk to the visitor experience at one of the most-loved national parks in the country,” the former rangers wrote.
