MISSION
STOP THE WALL!
Stop the Wall! is a not-for-profit corporation devoted to the sole purpose of persuading governmental leaders to not build a wall along the Texas-Mexico border. We are not taking a position on any other political, economic or social issue, and are not attempting to influence elections or appointments of officials. Neither do we support any particular political party as an organization. We simply think that a border wall along the Rio Grande or any place close to it would be a monumentally bad idea, and we are devoted to seeing that such a wall is never constructed, using any legal means at our disposal to convince our leaders not to embark upon this ill-advised venture.
Our reasons for rejecting the idea of a border wall in Texas are many, but some of the main ones are:
1. It would destroy the natural beauty of the border area, including Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch, and the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande;
2. It would prevent US/Texas citizens from having unhindered access to their river, the Rio Grande;
3. Since the wall cannot be built in the middle of the river (which is where the border is typically located), construction of wall anywhere else on Texas side would effectively cede the area between the wall and the border to Mexico;
4. It would disrupt ecological systems in the area;
5. It is impractical to build a wall along the course of a winding river that features canyons, adjoining tributaries, lakes and cities;
6. The project would be monumentally expensive and would not work - the same purpose of border security can be accomplished by hiring more Border Patrol (permanent jobs) and increasing electronic surveillance.;
7. It would divide the private property of some U.S. citizens who have land in the area;
8. It would disrupt cultural ties and economic activity in the border cities; and
We will discuss each of these reasons in more detail below.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
Our goal is to use our civil rights to petition and persuade our governmental leaders, particularly the current administration and Congress, to decline to build the border wall along the Texas-Mexico border. This is our only goal and purpose. To accomplish this employing the following methods to persuade those who will be making the decision to build or not to build:
1. Prepare form letters for people to write to Congress and the Administration, including office addresses for leaders;
2. Communicate, by all means available (traditional media, social media, word-of-mouth), the importance of not building a wall;
3. Organize news conferences and protest rallies;
4. Organize news conferences promoting Stop the Wall!; and
5. Printing bumper stickers and other materials for use by volunteers.
6. Create a documentary on the proposed border wall.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?
If you love the Texas-Mexico border area and want to help, you can do the following:
1. Send the form letter (link) or your own version to the Trump Administration and your Congressman and Senators; and
2. Volunteer your time and efforts to get out the Stop the Wall! message.
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THE WALL
1. A wall would destroy the natural beauty of border area, including Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch, and the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande.
A visit to the Big Bend area of Texas should suffice to convince anyone of the incalculable damage that would be done by building a wall along the Rio Grande. Drive the River Road from Presidio to Lajitas, through the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park, and you will see the spectacular rugged beauty that this area offers. At times the road is almost right up against the river, either just above river level or towering over it as it runs through a narrow mountain pass. While it is difficult to even conceive of where a border wall would be along here, wherever it is placed it would destroy beautiful scenery and cut off other vistas from view. If it is built along the river (where that is possible) it would be subject to damage from serious floods that occasionally occur here. If it is built some distance away from the river, it would destroy the River Road itself and cut off access to the area.
It is even more inconceivable that a wall would be built through Big Bend National Park. Where would you put such a structure near Santa Elena Canyon, with its 2000-foot walls? How would you put a wall around Mariscal or Boquillas Canyons? This is some of the most beautiful country in the world. A wall would absolutely destroy the natural splendor that exists there.
The Lower Canyons, from Big Bend to Langtry, would be an even greater challenge. It is an area of basically continuous canyon. If you put the wall at the top of the canyon, our access to the river and its beauty is cut off. It is difficult to conceive of how a wall at the bottom of the canyon would even be built. The whole of the Big Bend region is its own natural barrier, with deep canyons and an unforgiving desert blocking the path of anyone who would tread across it. The area does not need a wall.
2. It would prevent US/Texas citizens from having unhindered access to their river, the Rio Grande;
Many a U.S. citizen, Texan and otherwise, has enjoyed camping along, canoeing or kayaking in, or fishing from the Rio Grande. The border generally goes to the middle of the river, which makes half of it ours. The wall, wherever it is built, will destroy our access to the river. That means no camping along the banks of the river in Rio Grande Village, no running the “rock slide” at Santa Elena, no fishing and boating in Lakes Falcon or Amistad. The purpose of the wall is allegedly to block access to the U.S. by aliens, but it would have the opposite effect, as well – blocking access to the areas on the other side by U.S. citizens.
3. Since the wall cannot be built in the middle of the river (which is where the border is typically located), construction of wall anywhere else on Texas side would effectively cede the area between the wall and the border to Mexico;
Wherever the wall is actually built along the border, there will be an area of land between the wall and the actual border line. The wall cannot be built in the middle of the river or in the middle of one of the lakes. When it is built, such a wall would become the de facto border itself, as its purpose would be to prevent passage. So, whether it is built right along the bank of the river or inland some distance, we will be effectively ceding the space between the middle of the river and the wall to Mexico. We will be blocked from passing it, and Mexican citizens will feel free in coming right up to it.
4. It would disrupt ecological system in the area;
Both the Chihuahuan Desert in the northern border region and the Coastal Plain in the south are complex ecological systems that developed over long periods of time without an artificial barrier. A wall would disrupt animal life, cutting off creatures from portions of their natural habitat and hunting/foraging grounds. The damage could conceivably put some species at risk.
5. It is impractical to build a wall along the course of a winding river that features canyons, adjoining tributaries, lakes and cities;
The Rio Grande is not a straight line. It is a winding ribbon of life that courses through some very rough country. Think particularly of the various tributaries that flow into the river. The principal tributary on the Texas side is the Pecos River, which features its own canyon as it joins with the Rio Grande. Would each of these tributaries be dammed up? If they are left open, they would constitute a “hole” in the wall where people could pass, thus destroying the reason for it. If they are dammed, that creates a whole new concern regarding regulation of the tributary’s flow. Don’t mess with nature.
6. The project would be monumentally expensive and would not work - the same purpose of border security can be accomplished by hiring more Border Patrol (permanent jobs) and increasing electronic surveillance.;
Estimates for the construction of the wall have been proposed – figures between 10 and 20 billion dollars have been mentioned. When the builders reach the winding Rio Grande and its canyons, lakes and tributaries, you can be certain that the cost will exceed the estimates. Furthermore, even assuming that a 20-foot wall (the height that has been discussed) could be built, it just takes a 21-foot ladder to get over that. The Great Wall of China did not keep the Mongolians and other invaders out, and this wall won’t keep anyone out, either. You would still need Border Patrol and electronic surveillance to monitor events all along the wall. Simply dispense with the wall, increase the number of Border Patrol agents (thus creating permanent jobs), and use increased electronic surveillance, which will be necessary even with the wall. The same goal of border security can be accomplished without a wall.
7. It would divide the private property of some U.S. citizens who have land in the area; and
This has already occurred with the fences that have been put up in the Rio Grande Valley. Citizens have been separated from their own property. A fence is less objectionable than a wall (at least you can see through it), but it still divides private property. And again, this effectively cedes the property on the other side of the fence/wall to Mexico.
1. It would disrupt cultural ties and economic activity in the border cities;
Major cities such as El Paso, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley Metroplex rely greatly on cross-border commerce and do just fine, as do smaller cities such as Del Rio and Eagle Pass. The border is well-regulated in those areas already. A wall with the purpose of keeping all people out, even for the purpose of crossing to spend money, would disrupt cultural and economic activity upon which these border cities rely. Even the cultural tie between Boquillas, Mexico and Big Bend, which provides many citizens with their only chance to cross the Rio Grande on a canoe or a burro, would come to an end. The loss would change the very nature of Texas.
MY PERSONAL STORY
My love affair with the Texas-Mexico border started early in my life. By the time I was a teenager my parents had taken me to El Paso, Laredo, Del Rio, Eagle Pass and The Valley. I had traveled across the international bridges at each of those locations to visit markets and restaurants (it was a safer time in history). I had sampled the culture, the music, the food and the arts of the region. My dad and mom had also taken me to Big Bend National Park, where I had visited the canyons, hiked the trails of The Window, Lost Mine, and The South Rim. The geography of the area was firmly implanted in my brain, and a love for its rugged beauty and colorful history. What life-long Texas hasn’t been captivated by the story of Langtry’s Judge Roy Bean, “the law west of the Pecos?” Who could not be drawn to stories of General Black Jack Pershing chasing Pancho Villa back and forth across the border in the early 20th Century? Every time I listened to Marty Robbins’ El Paso I could easily place myself in the middle of the story, just as if I was there.
Then, when I was 13, my older brother, Bob Burleson, who was an avid explorer of the border region, took me on a 5-day, 120-mile canoe trip thought the Lower Canyons. The only persons we saw the entire trip (other than those traveling with us) were two Mexican men on horseback. I had never been that separated from civilization. Completing the trip (in icy December) was a test of my developing mettle. Three years later we repeated the trip, and those two experiences remain among the greatest adventures of my life. Bob also took me though Santa Elena Canyon (raft), Boquillas Canyon (canoe) and Mariscal Canyon (kayak). By the time I reached adulthood, Big Bend was in my blood.
As an adult, I’ve traveled with my wife, with my children and grandchildren, with my church, and with friends to various areas along with border dozens of times. I’ve seen the vast majority of the entire stretch, from El Paso to Boca Chica. A wall that blocked me from the border’s beauty and wildness would be like seeing a scar on a beautiful face – and it would break my heart. God, Nature and History gave us this region, this heritage. God joined Texans and the border, and what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.