Overview
- The injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, immediately bars DHS and CBP from building barriers or engaging in any ground‑disturbing activities in the Big Bend sector.
- Cardone found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on at least one legal claim and would suffer irreparable harm without the order, so the court halted the project while the lawsuits proceed.
- The suit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a Big Bend landowner and challenges the government’s use of statutory waivers to bypass environmental and historic‑preservation laws.
- The planned work includes vehicle barriers, patrol roads, lighting and detection technology across Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and nearby private lands and stems from a reported $1.7 billion contract for the sector.
- The injunction leaves CBP’s earlier pause and recent statements about reducing project scope on hold and could set a legal precedent limiting executive waiver authority and affecting other border projects.