Federal judge temporarily blocks border wall construction across Texas' Big Bend sector

Left · 2On Friday 2 October 2026, a federal court in Texas temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the state's Big Bend region. 1 2 Left · 2Judge Kathleen Cardone read a brief order from the bench in El Paso after more than four hours of testimony. She said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of at least one claim, would likely suffer irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the balance of equities and the public interest favoured them. 2 1 Right · 1Just the News quoted the two-page written order as saying the administration “shall not build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground disturbing activities, in the Big Bend sector,” and reported that it also bars the administration from using waivers of environmental and other laws until the case is finished. 3

Left · 2The ruling covers Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and the border along the Rio Grande across the whole sector, which spans more than 500 miles, about a quarter of the roughly 2,000-mile southern border. Inside Climate News reported that it halts construction until the federal government complies with all applicable laws, and that the injunction stays in place while the court considers the lawsuit, which was filed in April. 1 2 Left · 1The suit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church and river guide Danny Miller Jr. against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Markwayne Mullin. They argue DHS wrongly waived dozens of laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act, to fast-track construction. Under the injunction, the effect of those waivers is stayed. 2 Left · 1At the hearing, plaintiffs called eight witnesses. They argued there was no evidence Big Bend is an area of “high illegal entry,” as the waivers state. Adam Isaacson of the Washington Office on Latin America presented data placing the sector in “distant last place” for unauthorized crossings among the nine border sectors. Plaintiffs also said the government never supplied granular detention data for the national park. According to Inside Climate News, Justice Department attorneys presented few counterarguments and called no witnesses. 2

Left · 1The projects are part of a $46 billion administration effort to line the southern border with 30-foot steel walls, vehicle barriers, roads and surveillance technology. Landowners, businesses and environmentalists in Big Bend have opposed them, and the AP described the opposition as bipartisan. Opponents argue the remote, rugged terrain is its own deterrent to illegal immigration. 1 Right · 1Just the News, citing the Associated Press, said federal officials have argued that barrier construction was necessary because the number of people trying to enter the country would increase as barriers were built in other parts of the border. 3 Left · 2The first border wall panels in the sector went up in mid-September. After excavators and bulldozers were documented clearing land in Big Bend National Park in mid-August, Customs and Border Protection paused activity there on 17 August. The pause expired on 30 September, and the administration has said it is reevaluating its plans for the park without saying what it will do. 1 2

Left · 2Current plans call for vehicle barriers and access roads inside the state and national parks and a 30-foot steel wall on private land outside them. In those areas the government has been seeking landowner permission to survey and build, and a recent court filing said it was prepared to refer some cases to the Justice Department where permission was not secured. 2 1 Left · 1Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity called the ruling a “total victory” and said “the bulldozers are going to be sent packing until she rules on the merits.” Tiernan Sittenfeld, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, urged the administration to repair the damage already done to the park and work with local communities on alternatives. 1 Left · 1A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the agency stands by its assessment, remains confident in its legal authorities to secure the border while preserving the Big Bend landscape, and is working with the Justice Department on next steps. The White House referred questions to DHS, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 2