Federal judge halts border construction near Big Bend

A federal judge on Friday blocked Trump administration border construction in Texas’s Big Bend region, where proposed barriers and roads have drawn bipartisan opposition over potential harm to the national park, nearby landowners and the local economy.

Judge Kathleen Cardone, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote that the administration can’t "build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground disturbing activities" in the region.

"The Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of the claims in suit, that there is a likelihood that they will suffer serious, irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in their favor", Cardone wrote.

The ruling halts construction plans in and near Big Bend National Park. Although the administration has said it will not build a large border wall inside the park, it is pursuing other construction there. Wall construction still appears to be planned elsewhere in the region, which lies along the bend of the Rio Grande.

Earlier this year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived environmental laws to speed construction of barriers and roads across the Big Bend sector.

Democrats and Republicans have criticized the plans, warning about their effects on the park, the local economy and people who own land near the border. Opponents argue that the region’s rugged terrain already provides a natural border.

Customs and Border Protection defended its approach following the ruling.

"We stand by our assessment and remain confident in our legal authorities to secure the border while preserving the unique landscape of the Big Bend region", a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. "We are working with the Department of Justice on next steps."

Opponents welcomed the court’s intervention while emphasizing that their challenge to the environmental waiver continues.

"This is a historic victory for Big Bend and everyone who loves this wild corner of Texas", Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a written statement.

"No administration has the right to destroy a crown-jewel national park for political theatre. With a federal court ordering the bulldozers to stop, Big Bend gets to breathe. But this fight is far from over. We won’t rest until Big Bend’s environmental protections are fully restored and the illegal waiver that allowed so much destruction is gone for good", Jordahl added.

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