Judge Halts Trump Border Wall Through Big Bend National Park

A federal judge temporarily blocked border wall construction through Texas's Big Bend National Park.

US District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued a temporary injunction Friday after a hearing in El Paso, blocking the Trump administration from building border wall and other security infrastructure across the Big Bend region of west Texas. The ruling bars Customs and Border Protection from construction or ground disturbance unless it complies with the federal laws the Department of Homeland Security tried to suspend, and it covers Big Bend National Park plus areas upriver and downriver of the park.

CBP has already awarded five contracts for the Big Bend region totaling more than $6 billion, part of a roughly $46.5 billion border expansion funded by last year's spending bill, and the first wall panels went up in the sector in mid-September. Cardone found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on at least one claim, would suffer serious irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the equities and public interest favored them.

The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa church, and river guide Billy Miller. It challenged several DHS waivers that suspended dozens of environmental and historical protection laws — opponents say including the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act — to speed construction. The plaintiffs argued the agency was wrong to bypass regulations protecting the environment, culture and archaeology of the region, and the judge agreed they were likely to prevail on the merits of at least one claim.

Big Bend contains the longest unwalled stretch of the US-Mexico border, and plans to run new roads and 6-foot vehicle barriers through the prized national park sparked bipartisan opposition. When bulldozers cleared land inside the park in August, images of the work drew national condemnation, prompting CBP commissioner Rodney Scott to briefly pause construction; that pause expired earlier this week, and work resumed in September. Opponents argue the region's remoteness, lack of nearby Mexican cities and rugged cliffs already deter crossings.

Beyond the park, the ruling shields landowners along the Rio Grande who say the government is building on private property while claiming a decades-old right. The Guardian reports that in San Ygnacio, a town of roughly 400 people, residents filed Fifth Amendment lawsuits and criminal trespass complaints after crews razed riverfront land, and contractor crews agreed to stop on disputed property for now. Environmental groups also warned the wall could worsen flooding in the river's floodplain, which serves as the town's sole source of drinking water.

The reprieve is temporary, not final: Cardone will still rule on the merits, and CBP said it stands by its assessment, remains confident in its legal authorities, and is working with the Justice Department on next steps. Advocates celebrated but warned the fight continues — Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity called it a historic victory yet said opponents will not rest until the waivers are gone for good, while the National Parks Conservation Association urged the administration to repair damage already done and find new solutions.