Judge bars building of Texas-Mexico border barrier in Big Bend National Park

By Steve Gorman

Oct 2 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday barred the Trump administration from building a US-Mexico border barrier through Big Bend National Park in Texas while courts consider an environmental lawsuit challenging the project.

The ruling came nearly seven weeks after US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott paused construction amid bipartisan criticism of the border project and its potential impact on the park's landscape and wildlife.

Customs and Border Protection has said it planned to build roads, surveillance technology and vehicle barriers in the national park, rather than the 30-foot-high (9-meter-high) walls in other border areas.

Crews started clearing land in the park in August, prompting protests and lawsuits seeking to halt the work.

Scott said he wanted to put the project on hold until he could visit the area, "do a personal evaluation" and speak with some of the interested parties.

The preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Kathleen Cardone effectively prevents Scott from changing his mind. It says the government "shall not build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction of ground-disturbing activities, in the Big Bend Sector," unless it complies with environmental laws.

The lawsuit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, a group called Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a Big Bend-area river guide and landowner.

Cardone ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on at least some of their claims once the lawsuit is fully considered, and would face serious, irreparable harm without an injunction.

The plaintiffs asserted that the Trump administration, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, had improperly granted a sweeping waiver of environmental statutes to fast-track the Big Bend border plan.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, has long touted building or reinforcing barriers along the southern US border to deter illegal immigration.

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

US Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, has urged Homeland Security officials to consult with local leaders and reconsider proposed barriers in Big Bend, arguing that the area's rugged terrain already provides a natural deterrent.