Federal judge blocks border wall construction in Texas national park

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from constructing its border wall inside the Big Bend region in Texas, following backlash from the surrounding community.U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone ruled the administration “shall not build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground disturbing activities, in the Big Bend sector,” according to the two-page court order.
Cardone determined in the injunction that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of their claims and barred the administration from using waivers of environmental and other laws until the case is finished. 
The plaintiffs, who are a group of locals consisting of a river guide and a church preservation group, urged the court to prevent the administration from restarting construction, alleging the administration overstepped its authority on multiple fronts and warned it could harm the environment.
“Once bulldozers clear vegetation, roads are cut into previously undeveloped terrain, lights mounted, and steel barrier infrastructure is effected, those qualities cannot be restored through monetary compensation or after-the-fact relief,” the plaintiffs argued in August.
The plaintiffs largely drew issue with the border wall being constructed within the national park itself, though the 500-mile wall would spread across the southern border of the state, which borders Mexico.
Federal officials have argued that barrier construction was necessary because the number of people trying to enter the country would increase as barriers were constructed in other parts of the border, according to the Associated Press.
Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

Read Full Article: https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/federal-judge-blocks-border-wall-construction-texas-national-park?utm_source=justthenews.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=external-news-aggregators