About
Defenders of the Rio Grande
A non-violent, rapid-response network protecting the Big Bend region.
Our mission is to protect the lands, waters, cultural heritage, and communities of the greater Big Bend region from destructive border wall construction and related infrastructure. We work alongside — but separate from — the broader movement's advocacy, legal, landowner-support, and storytelling efforts, focusing specifically on lawful, disciplined, on-the-ground response.
What We Do
Our Boundaries
Monitor and rapidly assess emerging threats in the region
We do not advocate violence or sabotage
Support lawful observation, documentation, and communication
We do not organize armed, violent, illegal action
Build trained, safety-first rapid-response capacity
We do not encourage reckless confrontation
Coordinate safety oversight during public actions and field operations
We do not provide tactical guidance for destruction
We do not tolerate harassment
Support landowners, communities, and researchers through information-sharing
We do not plan acts of civil disobedience
Educate people considering civil disobedience about the risks involved — without planning or directing those acts ourselves
We do not claim authority over individuals who act outside our agreed protocols
Our Principles
Nonviolence
No violence, threats, intimidation, harassment, vandalism, or sabotage — ever. This is both an ethical commitment and a strategic one.
Safety first
Every action accounts for terrain, weather, medical readiness, and participant wellbeing. Designated safety leads can pause or stop any activity that becomes unsafe.
We plan, coordinate, and debrief. We don't escalate reactively.
Discipline over improvisation
Respect for land and community
We honor private property rights, landowner wishes, and the cultural weight of this region.
Strategic, not performative
Direct action isn't the goal — it's one tool among many, used only when it serves a clear strategic purpose. We provide education and information about civil disobedience risks; individuals who choose to act do so on their own volition, not as directed or planned action by this network.