Justice Department rushes Supreme Court to revive Big Bend border wall plan
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The Trump administration is pressing the Supreme Court to tear down a district court order that has paused construction of a border wall and related infrastructure in the Big Bend sector of the Texas-Mexico border. The dispute pits aggressive enforcement claims against objections from environmental, cultural and local-interest groups.
The Justice Department on Wednesday filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court in an effort to overturn a district-court injunction that is temporarily blocking the Department of Homeland Security from building a border wall and related infrastructure in the Big Bend sector of West Texas. The injunction reaches more than 500 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and 77 Texas counties, underscoring the sweeping reach of the halted project.
"The district court's injunction significantly frustrates the government's ability to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs across the southern border," Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the filing. "The Secretary identified the Big Bend project areas at issue because of the high rates of illegal-alien crossings and drug smuggling in the region over the past several years."
The request comes after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone issued a preliminary injunction that barred any construction or ground-disturbing activities in the area, finding that former Homeland Security secretaries had exceeded their authority when issuing waivers that allowed the work to go forward. The administration announced plans in February to build 30-foot-tall bollard walls, patrol roads, detection technology and about 17 miles of vehicle barriers across the sector.
Environmental groups, a river-boat guide association and a religious organization filed suit in April, arguing that the project would damage cultural, recreational, wildlife and historic resources. The plaintiffs also say the Big Bend sector accounts for only a small share of total border apprehensions, ranging from 0.3% to 2.2% of nationwide figures between 2021 and 2025.
The Justice Department’s filing asks for emergency relief so construction can resume while the Supreme Court reviews the case.