Trump’s top border official defends Big Bend border wall plan despite mounting opposition
CBP commissioner Rodney Scott says $46bn Texas project is justified amid court-ordered pause on wall’s construction The Trump administration’s top border official defended plans to build a wall and other infrastructure in the Big Bend of Texas 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”.
Rodney Scott, the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said the $46bn 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, in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press.
Read in depth: World
Spain train crash audio reveals exchanges between drivers and control centre
Recordings reported by the BBC appear to show a Renfe train being cleared to move while an Iryo train ahead remained stopped. Investigators have yet to establish the cause of...
Afghan opium poppy cultivation quadruples despite Taliban ban, UN says
The UN estimates that cultivation rose to about 43,000 hectares in 2026. The Taliban disputes the figure, while farmers describe difficulty replacing lost income.
Sources and context
The GuardianSource headline and summary supplied via NewsData.io. First collected by NewsJaws on 2026-10-24. This is an automated news brief, not original NewsJaws reporting. Dates reflect the source publication. Feed delays may apply.