The Trump administration has the green light to continue building a border wall in the Big Bend region of Texas after a Supreme Court ruling Monday.
Plaintiffs seeking to block construction of the wall argued that it threatened the landscape of Big Bend National Park, which historically did not have high rates of illegal immigration, and that the area could instead be protected through surveillance technology, The Associated Press reported. The project was going to include 30-foot-tall steel barriers in some areas.
The Justice Department argued in an emergency appeal that illegal border crossings and drug seizures in Big Bend made the region vulnerable.
In the case of Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security, et al. v. Friends of the Ruidosa Church, the justices paused a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas that sided with opponents of the wall and determined that Congress likely did not authorize the broad waivers for speedy construction.
The high court agreed with the administration that federal law limits judges’ powers to intervene when the government decides swift border barrier construction is necessary.
The lower court’s order “bars the Secretary from exercising his statutory authority to waive applicable laws” to expedite construction, the court wrote. “The injunction thus impedes the Government from advancing its ‘compelling interests’ in border security and integrity.”
Plaintiffs included a river guide, an environmental nonprofit, and a nonprofit dedicated to preserving a historic church in Ruidosa, Texas.
The border wall is a signature issue for President Donald Trump. Congress approved $46 billion for construction of the wall, and the Texas portion in question was just one section. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has built about 12 miles of wall per week across the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security has issued waivers for certain environmental rules in various locations.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
