For now, the heavy equipment set to take on border construction projects inside Big Bend National Park has gone silent.
Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Rodney Scott paused work to carry out what he calls a personal evaluation and to talk with those he describes as stakeholders in far west Texas.
A hearing is set for next week on multiple requests for an emergency restraining order to shut down the project amid a flurry of lawsuits.
But those with perhaps the biggest stake here have already been clear about how they feel.
Laiken Jordahl used to work in Big Bend National Park. Now he's one of those leading the effort to save it.
"We will fight this project until these contracts are canceled for good. None of it is justified or justifiable," Jordahl said.
MORE ON THE PROJECT | Trump administration pauses contentious border construction in Texas' Big Bend National Park
Critics say there are already deep scars in parts of the desert, where native plants and animal habitats have been destroyed.
The Big Bend sector is the longest section of the president's southern border security project, at more than 500 miles, but according to Customs and Border Patrol data, it has the fewest illegal crossings, at around 1%.
And so advocates continue to fight with the same grit and toughness as this place they're trying to protect. Like the land here, their struggle and emotions can be raw.
"Some of us have not stopped fighting it since February and now it's here and it's happening and there's so many people that care so much about this place," Natalie Newman said on Instagram.
Indigenous groups, local businesses and residents are all a part of the legal challenge to stop the project.
