Judge Halts Big Bend Border Wall Construction

A federal judge on Friday halted all border barrier construction in the Big Bend region of West Texas, delivering a major setback to the Trump administration’s border wall agenda in one of the state’s most environmentally and culturally treasured landscapes.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone granted a preliminary injunction from the bench during a hearing in El Paso, ordering an immediate stop to ground-disturbing activities and construction within one mile of the Rio Grande and inside both Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. Critically, the order also stayed the federal waivers the Department of Homeland Security had used to bypass dozens of environmental, cultural, and archaeological protection laws to fast-track the project. The pause remains in effect until the underlying lawsuit is resolved.

“The Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of the claims in suit, that there is a likelihood that they will suffer serious, irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in their favor,” the order states, as reported by Marfa Public Radio.

The ruling was met with tears, hugs, and applause from residents who have spent months fighting the project.

A Contested Project in a Sensitive Landscape

At issue is a 517-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border that encompasses about a quarter of the southwest border’s total length. The Big Bend Sector is also historically the least-trafficked, accounting for just 1.3% of all apprehensions in the last fiscal year, according to CBP statistics.

The government has argued that physical infrastructure is necessary even in remote areas to achieve what it calls “operational control” of the border. CBP has awarded five contracts for Big Bend totaling more than $6 billion as part of what the agency calls the “smart wall” — a mix of 30-foot steel bollard fencing, vehicle barriers, and surveillance technology. The broader border wall effort is funded by a $46.5 billion program included in last year’s spending bill.

Critics note the region’s rugged terrain already serves as a natural deterrent. Local officials and park advocates describe the 1,000-foot riverbank cliffs as “God’s walls.” The sector contains the longest unwalled stretch of the southern border.

How the Fight Escalated

The dispute escalated sharply in August 2026, when bulldozers cleared land inside Big Bend National Park, sparking widespread bipartisan outrage. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott announced a pause on all park construction activity for an “on-the-ground evaluation,” according to The Texas Tribune.

Construction resumed in mid-September, when the first border wall panels were erected in the sector. An earlier court-ordered pause for much of the region — including the national park — expired September 30.

During Friday’s hearing, the court heard hours of testimony from landowners, experts, and advocates. River guide and landowner Billy Miller, a plaintiff, compared a wall across his property blocking river access to “a bullet to the head,” according to Big Bend Sentinel. He said his work as a river guide would become “a tour of the military industrial complex, rather than a tour of the wilderness.”

Zeynep Graves, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which brought the suit, said in closing arguments that the impact reached beyond the land itself. “The harm reaches far beyond the landscape itself,” she said.

Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, testified that the Big Bend Sector “is in extraordinarily distant last place” compared with other sectors. “It doesn’t play in the same league as the other sectors,” he said.

Legal and Political Implications

The injunction is notable not only for pausing construction but for staying the federal waivers themselves — something no other lawsuit challenging the waivers in the region had achieved, per Marfa Public Radio. The suit argues the five contracted projects are unconstitutional on several grounds, including violating the separation of powers and depriving citizens of their land. In a filing earlier in the week, the agencies indicated they would soon move to file eminent domain cases against landowners who are not cooperating.

The ruling drew praise from environmental advocates. Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity called it a “total victory.” “The bulldozers are going to be sent packing until she rules on the merits,” he said, per AP/ABC7. “This is such a historic day for Big Bend and for Texas and the Constitution.”

Susan Hays, who is running for Presidio County Commissioner and is involved in the No Big Bend Wall movement, said the court found “the government had no justification, legally, to issue the waivers in the first place.”

CBP said it would continue to defend its position. “We stand by our assessment and remain confident in our legal authorities to secure the border while preserving the unique landscape of the Big Bend region,” a spokesperson said, adding the agency is “working with the Department of Justice on next steps.”

Tiernan Sittenfeld, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, urged the administration to change course. “Big Bend is no place for border barriers. It’s time for the administration to come to the table with the border communities that know Big Bend best, repair the damage from this ill-conceived project, and find new solutions,” she said, per AP/ABC7.

The political backlash has been unusually bipartisan for a border policy fight. Texas Republicans including Sen. John Cornyn, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, and Gov. Greg Abbott have all raised objections to wall construction inside the park. The Guardian described the ruling as a blow to the administration’s effort to expand the wall “at breakneck pace, while riding roughshod over the objections of local business owners, landowners, public land advocates and politicians from both parties.”

What to Watch

Six lawsuits have been filed over the Big Bend wall. On Thursday, a judge rejected a request for a temporary restraining order in a separate case.

If the administration appeals Cardone’s order, the case would go to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Marfa Public Radio. For now, the injunction keeps bulldozers out of the Big Bend while the legal fight over the project’s constitutionality and its environmental toll plays out.

Jordahl warned that the reprieve may be temporary. “But this fight is far from over,” he said. “We won’t rest until Big Bend’s environmental protections are fully restored and the illegal waiver that allowed so much destruction is gone for good.”