Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham recently sent cease-and-desist letters over work on the new border wall, according to FOX 26 Houston. The move sets up a clash between the state and federal authorities near Big Bend.
The letters went to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and a federal contractor, according to the report. They put both on notice over the disputed work.
The Texas General Land Office says the contractor cleared off a swath of state-owned land in Big Bend without written approval, the station reported. The office framed the clearing as having been done without the state's sign-off.
The land was cleared to make way for construction of the new border wall, according to FOX 26 Houston. That construction is at the center of the dispute between Texas and the federal government.
In the cease-and-desist letters, the state warned that it reserves the right to pursue legal action over the alleged damage, the station reported. The warning left open the possibility of a court fight.
In a statement, the land commissioner objected to anyone moving to enter and deface Texas state lands, according to the report. She cast the issue as a matter of protecting state property.
The commissioner said she will not apologize for defending the interests of the people of Texas, according to FOX 26 Houston. The station reported the remarks as the state pushed back against the federal work.