A trio of Texas lawmakers is fighting a proposal by President Donald Trump to shutter the headquarters of one of the state’s national parks.
In a letter this week to the Government Services Administration, three Democratic U.S. representatives said a plan to close the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park headquarters “has left local staff scrambling to determine how they will continue to safeguard one of America’s oldest heritage sites.”
Closing the site would also endanger park safety and jeopardize thousands of historical artifacts, said U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, of San Antonio, Greg Casar, of Austin, and Henry Cuellar, of Laredo.
The facility is among 34 National Park Service offices across the country the administration is seeking to close, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonpartisan advocacy organization. Under the plan, Lake Meredith National Recreation Area’s headquarters in the Texas Panhandle would also close. Both leases would be terminated in August.
Planned closures come less than a month after 1,000 park service employees were dismissed, including at least nine in Texas, as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency seeks to shrink the size of the federal government. Two federal judges have since ordered Trump to rehire the employees.
In San Antonio, Missions National Historical Park preserves Spanish frontier missions built in the 1700s to colonize the land and convert indigenous people to Christianity. The park is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas, a distinction recognizing sites around the world for their cultural, historical or scientific value.
Last year, roughly 1.3 million people visited the park. The headquarters houses first responders and public safety officers, maintenance, IT, and equipment and artifact storage.
Lawmakers said the park has seen an uptick in vandalism and security breaches due to a lack of federal funds and too few rangers.
“The San Antonio Missions have stood for more than 300 years and represent a unique chapter in San Antonio’s history,” the representatives wrote. “This attempt at cost-cutting disregards the immense value these sites hold for our nation. Instead of reducing resources, we should bolster them with more rangers, stronger security measures, and better preservation efforts.”
A park representative referred all questions to the National Park Service, which said in a statement that it is working to “ensure facilities or alternative options will be available, as we embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation in workforce management.”
In an email to staff earlier this month, the Government Services Administration said it will do “what’s best for the needs of the federal government and taxpayer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
