Judge Halts Border Wall Construction in Texas' Big Bend Region (PBS NewsHour)
A federal court in Texas on Friday issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the state's Big Bend region, in a victory for opponents who have pushed back against what has long been a key campaign promise by President Donald Trump.
Landowners, businesses, and environmentalists in the region have united to oppose the planned infrastructure projects, which are part of a $46 billion effort by the Trump administration to line the southern border with a mix of 30-foot-tall steel walls, vehicle barriers, roads, and surveillance technology.
The judge's ruling includes Big Bend National Park, which sits on a bend of the Rio Grande River, but also extends across the entire, roughly 500-mile-long Big Bend sector, which accounts for about a quarter of the roughly 2,000-mile-long southern border with Mexico.
“[The 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.” — Judge Kathleen Cardone
Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Opponents of the border wall project have argued that the Big Bend region of Texas is home to unique ecological and cultural landscapes, and that the construction would threaten both.