Existential Crisis in Presidio: Why a Tiny Texas Town Is Hauling the Feds Into Court

TERLINGUA, TEXAS - APRIL 12: From an aerial view, tourists visit the iconic Starlight Theater on April 12, 2026 in Terlingua Ghost Town, Texas. A Trump Administration plan to extend the U.S.-Mexico border wall into the region has sparked rare bi-partisan unity among Texans against construction through one of the most rugged and pristine parts of the United States. Most local residents are employed directly or indirectly in the tourism industry, with recreational access to the Rio Grande a key component to the region's success. Critics of the construction also say there is no actual need for a wall there to stem immigration, citing the low number of people who attempt to cross through the region's forbidding terrain. (Credit: Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

An economic development organization representing the city of Presidio and Presidio County has sued the Trump administration over plans to expand border barriers and surveillance infrastructure in Texas' Big Bend region, arguing the project could increase the risk of flooding and damage existing flood-control systems.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Democracy Forward on behalf of the Presidio Municipal Development District, alleges the federal government failed to obtain required authorization before planning construction along the Presidio Flood Control Project, a levee system managed by the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission.

According to the complaint, reported by The Texas Tribune, installing 30-foot steel bollards anchored in concrete on existing earthen levees could compromise flood protections that have helped shield the area during major flooding events, including in 1978 and 2008.

"Construction on the federal flood-control works in Presidio could compromise their integrity and leave the region vulnerable to deadly flash floods capable of destroying infrastructure, homes, farmland, and agriculture," Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman said in a statement.

Border barrier efforts in Big Bend, which includes Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park (Credit: Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the administration remains in the planning stages of determining where barriers and surveillance technology will be installed in the Big Bend sector.

The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to expand border infrastructure despite declining migrant crossings in the region. According to CBP data cited by The Texas Tribune, the Big Bend sector recorded 3,096 migrant encounters in fiscal year 2025, representing about 1.3% of all apprehensions along the southern border and a significant decline from recent years.

The administration has nevertheless described the area as a corridor where migrants and drug smugglers attempt to enter the United States. Federal officials have also sought access to private land in the region for surveys and potential land acquisition through eminent domain.

The Texas case follows a separate lawsuit filed this week by the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona. The tribe is seeking to block construction of a proposed "Smart Wall" and related infrastructure along its 62-mile border with Mexico, arguing the project would divide tribal lands and damage culturally significant sites.

"The nation has long worked cooperatively with the Department of Homeland Security to help secure the U.S. border," Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose said in a statement. "We have been left with no other choice but to file suit to protect our land, our culture, and our rights."

Both lawsuits challenge the administration's broader plan to expand barriers, roads, surveillance systems and other border-security infrastructure across large sections of the U.S.-Mexico border.