1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Will my elected officials please explain why Trump has ordered armored combat vehicles, known as Strykers, and 100s of military troops to Big Bend National Park? Why is this action necessary when the Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector sees much lower border crossings than other areas along the U.S.-Mexico border? In February, Customs and Border Protection reported about 165 migrant encounters in that sector, compared to 1,679 in Laredo and 2,623 in El Paso during the same period. Does 165 potential detentions merit a military operation? This is happening when overall apprehensions of undocumented immigrants across the southern border has dropped to the lowest levels in decades. P.S. There’s a reason crossings are low in Big Bend. Geography. A naturally-occurring, inhospitable Mother Nature border wall. So please explain why, when funding to national parks has been starkly cut in the guise of saving money, we are happy instead to spend a bajillion dollars to parade around Texas’ most visited park in armored vehicles for a purely performative sideshow? Why is this being done? Why is it deemed necessary? And how much is it costing we the people? This constituent wants to know. And don’t tell me it’s classified. Because we know that’s not a thing anymore.