Supreme Court resumes border wall spending in Big Bend

The Supreme Court cleared the path on Monday for the Trump administration to restart border wall construction in Texas's Big Bend region. This decision allows federal agencies to proceed with a project that opponents argued was financially inefficient and environmentally damaging.

Republicans in Congress allocated $46 billion to the project last summer. Customs and Border Protection is currently erecting 12 miles of border barriers per week along the entire border. The Big Bend segment includes plans for 30-foot-tall steel walls, vehicle barriers, and new roads.

Bipartisan opponents in the region had challenged the construction costs and environmental impact. They argued the area has historically low illegal immigration rates and that the project threatens the local economy. Critics suggested surveillance technology like drones would be a more effective use of funds.

A federal judge in Texas previously sided with the opponents. The court found that Congress likely did not clearly authorize the broad regulatory waivers the government used to bypass environmental rules. The judge ordered an immediate stop to all construction-related activity in the area, which encompasses Big Bend National Park and surrounding state and private lands.

The administration filed an emergency appeal, arguing that illegal border crossings and drug seizures still occur in Big Bend. Federal attorneys contended that a gap in the wall could funnel more traffic to the area. The Supreme Court agreed that the law limits judicial power to intervene when the federal government deems speedy construction necessary.

The majority paused the lower court's decision, allowing work to continue. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a dissenting opinion. The ruling removes a legal barrier that had halted spending in one of the border's lowest apprehension zones.