Judge halts contentious border construction in and near Texas’s Big Bend National Park
The Hill · C · trust 57/100
Comments: by Rachel Frazin - 10/02/26 5:09 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Rachel Frazin - 10/02/26 5:09 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING A federal judge on Friday halted contentious Trump administration border construction plans in Texas’s Big Bend region.
Judge Kathleen Cardone, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, wrote that the administration can’t “build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground disturbing activities” in the region.
“The Court finds that 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,” Cardone wrote.
Border construction in the area has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, who have warned of adverse effects on Big Bend National Park, the local economy and landowners who live near the border. Opponents of such construction have argued that the area’s rugged terrain forms a natural border.
Earlier this year, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived environmental laws to expedite the construction of barriers and roads across the Big Bend sector.
The administration has said it will not build a large border wall inside the national park but is pursuing other construction activity there. It does still appear to be planning wall construction in other parts of the region, which sits along the bend of the Rio Grande.
“We stand by our assessment and remain confident in our legal authorities to secure the border while preserving the unique landscape of the Big Bend region,” a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “We are working with the Department of Justice on next steps.”
The order was celebrated by opponents of the construction.
“This is a historic victory for Big Bend and everyone who loves this wild corner of Texas,” Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a written statement.
“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. We won’t rest until Big Bend’s environmental protections are fully restored and the illegal waiver that allowed so much destruction is gone for good,” Jordahl added.
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