Federal Judge Bars Trump Administration From Building Border Wall in Big Bend National Park

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U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone on Friday issued a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from building a U.S.-Mexico border barrier and related infrastructure in Big Bend National Park, Texas, while an environmental lawsuit challenging the project moves forward.

The ruling came nearly seven weeks after U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott paused the project amid bipartisan criticism of its impact on the park's landscape and wildlife, saying he wanted to visit the area and conduct a "personal evaluation." Customs and Border Protection had said it planned to build roads, surveillance technology and vehicle barriers in the park rather than the 30-foot-high walls used in other border areas. Crews began clearing land in the park in August, prompting protests and lawsuits.

The lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, a group called Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a Big Bend-area river guide and landowner. The plaintiffs allege Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, improperly granted a sweeping waiver of environmental statutes to fast-track the Big Bend border plan. Cardone ruled the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on at least some claims and would face serious, irreparable harm without the injunction.