Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 3: A federal court in Texas has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the Big Bend region of the state.
US District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued the ruling on Friday, providing a temporary setback to the administration's plans and a major boost to landowners, businesses and environmental groups opposing the projects.
The planned infrastructure forms part of a $46-billion effort by the Trump administration to strengthen the US-Mexico border with 30-foot-high steel walls, vehicle barriers, roads and surveillance technology.
In her ruling, Cardone said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on at least one of their legal claims. She also found that they faced a likelihood of serious and irreparable harm without an injunction and that the balance of equities and public interest favoured granting the injunction.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security had not immediately commented on the ruling.
Opponents of the project have argued that the Big Bend region is extremely remote and has a rugged landscape that already acts as a natural deterrent to unauthorised border crossings. They have also alleged that the administration violated legal requirements by issuing numerous waivers that allowed border infrastructure projects to bypass several regulations.
Much of the opposition has focused on CBP plans for the Big Bend National Park, which is known for its desert landscapes, limestone cliffs and exceptionally clear night skies.
Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the lawsuit, described the ruling as a “total victory” and said construction equipment would have to leave the area until the court rules on the merits of the case.
The ruling comes weeks after the administration installed the first border wall panels in the Big Bend sector in September.
The project has drawn opposition from both Republicans and Democrats. In August, the sight of bulldozers clearing land inside Big Bend National Park prompted calls from lawmakers of both parties for the administration to halt the work.
CBP subsequently paused activity inside the park, but that pause expired on September 30. The administration has said it is reviewing its plans for the national park but has not announced its next steps.
Judge Cardone's ruling also covers areas upstream and downstream of the national park where CBP has planned additional border infrastructure. Much of that construction would require work on privately owned land, placing landowners and other local interests at the centre of the legal dispute.
The case is expected to proceed as the court considers the underlying legal challenges to the border infrastructure plans.