Overview
- A federal judge issued an emergency injunction blocking barrier and patrol-road work in the Big Bend region and ordered that no ground‑disturbing construction occur until the court rules on the legal challenge.
- Conservation groups, a local church group and a Big Bend landowner sued the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Secretary Markwayne Mullin to challenge the agency's waiver decisions.
- The plaintiffs say the waivers set aside laws that protect national parks, endangered species, and wild and scenic rivers, and they argued construction would harm wildlife, cultural sites, recreation, and river resources.
- CBP had announced a voluntary pause on construction that expired at the end of September and told the court it intended to resume work before the judge granted the injunction.
- The case will test the scope of DHS's emergency waiver authority for the broader multi‑billion‑dollar border buildout and could shape how federal agencies balance security projects with landowner rights and environmental protections.