The Supreme Court issued an unsigned five-page emergency order on Monday lifting a preliminary injunction that halted border barrier and road installation across the Big Bend sector in West Texas. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted that she would have denied the Justice Department's application.
In its decision, the high court determined that pausing barrier and road construction interferes with the federal government's compelling interest in maintaining border integrity. The court noted that statutory environmental waivers authorized by Congress reflect an explicit intent to prioritize rapid border barrier construction over local recreational objections.
Border Infrastructure Across West Texas
The order dissolves a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone, who previously ruled that the Department of Homeland Security exceeded statutory authority when bypassing environmental laws. The administration petitioned the high court after warning that halting work compromised border security along a major segment of the southern frontier.
The Department of Homeland Security issued three waivers under a 1996 federal immigration statute to advance the projects. Customs and Border Protection plans to build more than 200 miles of patrol roads and roughly 17 miles of vehicle barriers in the region, alongside a 47-mile wall project begun in Hudspeth County.
