A remote desert national park in West Texas known for rugged mountain ranges and endangered wildlife could soon see a border wall running through its boundaries. On Monday, the United States Supreme Court lifted a lower court's injunction that had halted construction, allowing President Donald Trump's administration to move forward with building border barriers across sections of Big Bend National Park while legal proceedings continue.
The Trump administration has framed the project as an urgent national security priority, characterizing the Big Bend sector as a corridor for unauthorized crossings and drug trafficking. Opponents, including conservation groups and local officials, counter that the barrier will disrupt a fragile ecosystem that is home to rare species such as the Mexican long-nosed bat. To accelerate the work, federal authorities invoked legal waivers allowing them to bypass several standard environmental and heritage reviews, such as the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
In October, US District Judge Kathleen Cardone had temporarily blocked construction, noting that although Big Bend covers more than 25 percent of the US-Mexico border, it accounts for only 0.3 to 2.2 percent of migrant apprehensions. However, the Supreme Court concluded that the federal government was "exceedingly likely to prevail" on its argument that the district court lacked jurisdiction. Under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, lower courts are sharply restricted from pausing border wall projects unless plaintiffs present a direct constitutional claim.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone member of the court to indicate dissent, though she did not release an explanation. The ruling clears the path for construction crews to advance, even as plaintiffs—including the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church, and a local landowner—continue their fight to protect what they describe as one of the most culturally and ecologically significant landscapes in the United States.