A federal judge on Friday halted the Trump administration’s contentious border construction plans in and around Texas’s Big Bend region.

The order blocks barrier work and other construction activities while the legal dispute proceeds.

Judge Kathleen Cardone, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, issued the order restricting the administration’s planned activity.

er ruling covers border barriers, related infrastructure, construction and work that would disturb the ground in the region.

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Cardone wrote that the administration cannot “build border barrier or related infrastructure, or engage in any construction or ground disturbing activities” in the affected area.

The language places a broad stop on the work described in the order.

In explaining her decision, Cardone pointed to the plaintiffs’ likelihood of succeeding on at least one of their claims.

She also cited the threat of serious and irreparable harm if the court declined to intervene.

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“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 wrote.

The ruling followed criticism of border construction in the Big Bend area from both Democrats and Republicans.

Critics have warned that the work could harm Big Bend National Park, the local economy and landowners living near the border.

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Opponents have also argued that the region’s rugged landscape already serves as a natural border. That terrain has become a central part of their case against adding barriers and roads across the area.

Earlier this year, Kristi Noem, who was serving as Homeland Security Secretary at the time, waived environmental laws to accelerate construction.

The waivers were intended to expedite barriers and roads across the Big Bend sector.

The Trump administration has said it does not intend to construct a large border wall inside Big Bend National Park.

It is, however, pursuing other construction activity within the park.

Wall construction still appears to be planned in other parts of the broader Big Bend region. The region sits along the bend of the Rio Grande, and the judge’s order now prevents the specified construction and ground disturbing activities there.

The Hill contacted Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security for comment about Cardone’s order.

Opponents of the construction quickly celebrated the court’s intervention. Their reaction focused on the ruling’s immediate protection of the park and the broader campaign to restore environmental protections.

Image Credit: © David Wallace/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the ruling a landmark moment for the area. His written statement praised the court for ordering construction equipment to stop.

“This is a historic victory for Big Bend and everyone who loves this wild corner of Texas,” Jordahl said in the statement.

“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,” Jordahl added.

The decision immediately halts the administration’s border construction activity covered by the order, including barriers, infrastructure and work disturbing the ground. Cardone’s ruling rests on the plaintiffs’ likelihood of success, the prospect of irreparable harm and the court’s consideration of the public interest.

At the same time, the administration’s stated position distinguishes between a large wall inside the national park and other construction there.

The order blocks the disputed activities while opponents continue challenging the waived environmental protections and planned work throughout the Big Bend region.

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