Federal judge grants injunction to pause Big Bend National Park border barrier construction

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Friday, a federal judge granted an emergency injunction to block border barrier and road construction in the Big Bend region. The injunction will stay in place while the court considers a lawsuit challenging the federal government's alleged waiver of laws for fast-tracked construction.

The hearing started in El Paso at 9 a.m.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said the agency will conduct "additional barriers and roads in the Big Bend Sector," the lawsuit said. Part of the project includes the Big Bend National Park area.

The Center for Biological Diversity, along with Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a Big Bend landowner, filed a lawsuit challenging the waiver. The lawsuit is against Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The waiver allegedly cast aside several environmental laws, such as the National Park Service Organic Act, Endangered Species Act and National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the project would impact cultural, recreational, wildlife and environmental resources.

CBP announced a pause in construction on Aug. 17, which lapsed Sept. 30. Without a preliminary injunction, construction could have resumed.