A federal judge in El Paso froze Trump plans for vehicle barriers and roads in Big Bend National Park after activists claimed irreversible harm from the security work.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone handed down an emergency injunction on Friday that stops the Trump administration from building vehicle barriers, patrol roads, and lighting across the West Texas Big Bend Sector. The order also freezes any construction or ground disturbance inside Big Bend National Park itself.
The ruling came in the case Friends of the Ruidosa Church et al. v. Mullin et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is named as a defendant. Plaintiffs include the Center for Biological Diversity, advocates for a historic church, a Big Bend river guide, and a landowner. They challenged the federal government’s use of waiver authority tied to environmental law to move the border security work forward faster.
Breitbart Texas reported that Cardone, appointed by President George W. Bush in 2003, considered witness testimony before issuing the order. She found the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on at least one claim and faced serious, irreparable harm without relief.
"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."
Cardone’s order leaves no room for continued work. It states that defendants shall not build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground-disturbing activities, in the Big Bend Sector effective immediately until the court says otherwise or the government complies with all applicable laws.
"Effective immediately and until the Court orders otherwise, Defendants SHALL NOT build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground-disturbing activities, in the Big Bend Sector until and unless Defendants comply with all applicable laws."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott had already paused the infrastructure projects inside Big Bend National Park in mid-August. CBP clarified that the work inside the park would involve only one new access road, improvements to existing roads, detection technology, and vehicle barriers in limited strategic spots. Officials said it would not include a 30-foot border wall in the park.
The broader effort forms part of a $46 billion Trump administration push for southern border walls, barriers, roads, and surveillance. Opponents still sued over the waiver process that allowed the projects to proceed without the usual environmental and cultural reviews.
AP News noted the temporary block covers Big Bend National Park and surrounding areas after landowners, environmentalists, and others raised environmental, cultural, and legal objections. CBP has defended its authorities even as the court freeze took effect.
Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, celebrated the injunction as a major win for the remote West Texas landscape. The group is among the plaintiffs.
"This is a historic victory for Big Bend and everyone who loves this wild corner of Texas. No administration has the right to destroy a crown-jewel national park for political theatre. With a federal court ordering the bulldozers to stop, Big Bend gets to breathe. But this fight is far from over. 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."
The New York Post reported Jordahl also said the bulldozers are going to be sent packing until the judge rules on the merits, calling it a historic day for Big Bend, Texas, and the Constitution. The projects had drawn opposition from environmental groups, historic church advocates, and river guides who argued DHS improperly waived rules protecting the environment, culture, and archaeology.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) joined local politicians and James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in Texas’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, in opposing the border security enhancements. The lawsuit also targets work tied to Big Bend Ranch State Park and the wider Big Bend Region.
Just The News detailed the plaintiffs’ August argument that once bulldozers clear vegetation, roads cut into undeveloped terrain, lights go up, and steel barriers go in, those qualities cannot be restored through money or later fixes. Cardone agreed the equities and public interest tipped their way for now and barred use of the environmental and other law waivers while the case proceeds.
The injunction keeps the freeze in place across the Big Bend Sector until further court order. It does not resolve the underlying challenge to the waiver authority. That fight continues in the Western District of Texas.
Border infrastructure in remote sectors has long been a practical tool for agents facing vast terrain and limited roads. CBP’s own description of the Big Bend National Park piece stayed narrow: one new access road, better existing routes, detection gear, and targeted vehicle barriers. Yet the emergency order stops even that limited package cold.
Cardone’s findings track the standard for a temporary halt, likelihood of success on a claim, irreparable harm, and a balance that favors the challengers. The government must now show full compliance with every applicable law before any ground is broken again.
Secure borders still require the tools agents can actually use. Court freezes that treat vehicle barriers and patrol roads as permanent scars leave the same remote stretches open while the paperwork war grinds on.
