Austin-based Joe Rogan, host of one of the world’s most-listened-to podcasts, criticized the Trump administration’s plan to put up 17 miles of non-contiguous barrier fences in Big Bend National Park.
Rogan, who endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, called the White House plan “B.S.” on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.
Speaking with Cameron Hanes, host of the Keep Hammering Collective podcast, Rogan questioned the need for the barriers in such a remote part of Texas.
For his part, Hanes criticized the administration’s decision to waive dozens of environmental regulations, sidestepping “checks and balances” to move forward with construction contracts in the beloved national park.
In total, the Trump administration has awarded more than $7 billion in border security construction contracts in the Big Bend Sector, which includes Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and adjoining private land. The government has allocated $4 billion for the barrier project in Big Bend National Park alone.
“Trump doesn’t give a fuck about public land. Someone who doesn’t appreciate public land, they don’t give a fuck about this,” said Hanes.
“It’s B.S. And they’re just going to do it because they got a nice contract,” Rogan agreed. Imitating Trump’s voice and mannerisms, the host added, “I want a wall, a beautiful wall. A giant wall.”
Laiken Jordahl, a spokesman for the Center for Biological Diversity — one of the most prominent voices in the opposition to the construction — shared the podcast clip on X.
“Joe Rogan is speaking up against DHS’s plans to build completely pointless barriers and roads through Big Bend National Park,” Jordahl said in the tweet.
The White House’s proposed four-foot-tall barriers in Big Bend include wide enough gaps for wildlife — or humans — to squeeze through. The fences are also non-contiguous, meaning someone could walk in either direction to simply go around them.
After scrapping plans to install 15- to 30-foot steel bollards found in other segments of the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection this month announced that it’s now planning to install “low-profile fencing” for the park instead. Additionally, the agency will building more roads through the wild terrain and erect surveillance towers.
While the gaps in the newly proposed “low-profile” barriers might minimize their impact on the migratory patterns of larger wildlife, Texans on both sides of the aisle have questioned what purpose the fence actually serves and whether it justifies marring the landscape and spending billions in tax dollars.
Jordahl sees it as a good sign that even Rogan, one of Trump’s key 2024 allies, is voicing opposition to the project.
“Rogan speaking out to save Big Bend is a remarkable testament to the nonpartisan and nearly universal opposition the American people feel for this corrupt boondoggle of a project,” Jordahl told the Austin-American Statesman.
CBP officials maintain the barriers are intended to prevent off-road vehicles from traveling to and from the Rio Grande. However, the agency’s own data shows that border crossings in the park are virtually nonexistent.
Though the Big Bend Sector accounts for 26% of the total 1,952-mile U.S.-Mexico border, its illegal crossings account for less than 1% of all illegal migrant crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to activist group Keep Big Bend Wild.
Apprehensions in the sector also decreased by 74% in fiscal 2025 compared with fiscal 2023, according to CBP.
Due to Big Bend National Park’s rugged desert and canyon terrain, the government only documents 100 to 200 apprehensions annually, representing less than 0.05% of all U.S.-Mexico border crossings reported by CBP.
CBP is accepting comments on its new plan for Big Bend National Park until July 13, 2026. Comments can be emailed to BigBendComments@cbp.dhs.gov. Agency officials ask commenters to include “Brewster County Vehicle Barrier System Construction” in the subject of the email.
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