The contract comes just a week after Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said the agency would not build a wall in Big Bend National Park.

The lawsuit argues that 14 acres on Mount Cristo Rey, which features a 29-foot-tall statue of Jesus, are needed for barriers and other technology to secure the border.

(RNS) — The land targeted by the federal government is at the base of Mount Cristo Rey, a mountain and pilgrimage site topped by a 29-foot-tall limestone statue of Jesus Christ.

Texans across the political spectrum opposed wall construction in the national park. Now the agency’s plans include roadways and digital surveillance to monitor the rugged region.

Laredo is working with federal officials to minimize the disruptions a potential wall could pose.

The lawsuit says the Trump administration illegally waived environmental laws to speed up the process to build border barriers in the Big Bend area.

While the federal government hasn’t made a public statement about its plans, official maps show a “virtual wall” going through the region rather than a physical barrier.

Residents and elected officials are speaking out against a proposed border barrier through Texas’ biggest state park and one of the jewels of the national park system.