A U.S. District Judge, Kathleen Cardone, issued an order on Friday that slows the Trump administration's plans for a barrier or construction work along a section of the U.S.-Mexico border in the Big Bend region of Texas. The order requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adhere to historical and environmental protection laws that had been waived earlier this year.
The lawsuit was filed by Friends of the Ruidosa Church, a Big Bend river guide and landowner named Danny William Miller, and the environmental advocacy group the Center for Biological Diversity against Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. They challenged the use of waivers to expedite construction in the Big Bend region, which includes Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park.
The preliminary injunction blocks the use of these waivers while the legal challenge is ongoing, affecting over 500 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Laiken Jordahl, a national public lands advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, stated, "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."
This lawsuit is one of several against the Trump administration regarding its border wall construction efforts, particularly in the Big Bend sector. In a separate case, a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order related to Big Bend National Park. The Trump administration had paused work in the national park until September 30, following a visit by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. Court filings indicated that the administration was considering reducing the scope of the project in the park, with a final decision expected in the first week of October.
Building a border wall was a key message in President Donald Trump’s campaigns. Environmental advocates have raised concerns that construction in the region would negatively impact its natural landscape. Over the past year, the Trump administration has allocated billions of dollars in federal contracts for wall construction, including a $1.7 billion contract on May 11 for a border wall in Big Bend, Texas, which has led to speculation about the administration's plans for the area, particularly concerning state and national parks.