- The Trump administration's top border official defended plans to build a wall and other infrastructure in Texas' Big Bend region despite mounting opposition against the project and a court-ordered pause on construction, saying his goal of fortifying the country's borders was "non-negotiable." In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott argued that the $46 billion wall project was justified despite a bipartisan coalition of landowners, local businesses and environmentalists who view it as a waste of taxpayer money that could be destructive to a region with historically low migrant crossings.

"Our number one goal right out the gate is we have to know who and what is coming into the United States," Scott said on Thursday.

If the Big Bend region were left without a wall or other border infrastructure while other areas along the border get those fortifications, he said, "I am 100% convinced it will be completely overrun and destroyed." The fight over Big Bend has become a major test for how far the Republican administration is willing to go for the border wall, President Donald Trump's signature infrastructure project.