'U.S. Supreme Court Lifts Judicial Decision That Blocked Trump Administration From Building Border Barriers In Big Bend National Park In Texas' - Reuters News

Border wall part of Trump's restrictions on immigration
Plan would include barriers in Big Bend National Park
Judge blocked wall construction while suit plays out
Nov 9 (Reuters) - The US Supreme Court gave President Donald Trump's administration the green light on Monday to proceed with the construction of barriers along the US-Mexico border in a remote region in West Texas that includes Big Bend National Park, fast-tracking one of his longstanding priorities.

The court granted the administration's emergency request to lift a federal judge's order halting the border wall's construction in the region while a lawsuit against the project brought by an environmental group and other challengers plays out.

The Republican president has long touted building or reinforcing barriers along the US-Mexico border ‌as ⁠a signature part of his sweeping restrictions on immigration.

But his administration's push to extend border infrastructure into the national park, around 250 miles (400 km) southeast of El Paso, has faced opposition from local officials, conservationists and ​even some Texas Republicans.

The lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, a Big Bend-area river guide and a group seeking to preserve a historic church in Ruidosa, Texas, that says its fragile adobe structure is threatened by the border construction.

The plaintiffs challenged a series of waivers issued by the US Department of Homeland Security to expedite construction of roads and barriers in the Big Bend region, avoiding the application of a variety of environmental and conservation laws.