US Supreme Court clears way for border wall construction in Big Bend, Texas

The US Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume border wall construction in the Big Bend region of Texas. Granting an emergency request from the federal government, the court lifted a lower court's stay on the project.

The justices ruled 8-1 that the government is ‘exceedingly likely to prevail’ in its argument that a district court lacked jurisdiction when it issued a preliminary injunction in October to pause construction.

A federal district judge in El Paso had last month temporarily halted border wall construction in the region designated by US Customs and Border Protection as the Big Bend Sector while litigation proceeds. The Supreme Court's ruling stays that injunction.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson indicated she would have denied the stay request but did not file a written dissent.

According to administration plans, the construction will include physical walls, access roads and vehicle barriers.

The lawsuit against the project was brought by a coalition of environmental groups and local residents, who claim the Department of Homeland Security violated constitutional provisions by proceeding without congressional authorization and bypassing environmental regulations.

Spanning more than 500 miles, the Big Bend Sector covers roughly a quarter of the US-Mexico border. However, it accounted for just 1.3 percent of all border apprehensions in 2025, Reuters reported.

Administration officials said most of the proposed construction will take place on privately owned land. Big Bend National Park is slated for a 17-mile barrier, though officials noted it will not feature the 30-foot steel pedestrian fencing planned in other areas along the southern border.

Administration officials have argued the wall is vital to stopping cartel operations active south of the border and curbing the smuggling of large quantities of illicit drugs into the US.

President Donald Trump has long touted border wall expansion as a signature initiative of his strategy to seal the southern border and crack down on illegal immigration.

The environmental groups' lawsuit is still ongoing; the Supreme Court's decision only lifts the temporary stay on construction.