The Trump administration says it’s ready to move forward with its border infrastructure plans in the Big Bend region – after the Supreme Court ruled Monday that construction can proceed while a legal fight continues to play out.
Rodney Scott, the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement after the ruling that the agency is “moving forward with critical border security construction in West Texas.”
Scott says CBP is soon planning to release updated plans for Big Bend National Park specifically.
While several of the newly-elected Democratic state leaders campaigned on fighting the border wall — including Governor elect Gina Hinojosa and Senator elect James Talarico — it is not yet clear how Texas’ blue wave might affect how the border wall moves forward in the next couple of months before those leaders take office.
The high court’s ruling on Monday was met with harsh criticism from Hinojosa and Talarico.
“Texas sovereignty and land should be protected," Hinojosa said in a statement. "By letting the federal government bulldoze our land, the Supreme Court is continuing to put corporate profits before the people of Texas."
“They’re allowing out-of-state contractors to get rich by destroying the crown jewel of Texas,” Talarico added in a separate statement. “We can work with President Trump to fix this broken immigration system without desecrating our sacred land.”
Congresswoman elect Katy Padilla Stout — who will be representing Texas’ 23rd congressional district, which includes the Big Bend — said in a statement that she will fight “tooth and nail” for the Big Bend region once she’s sworn in in January.
“The people of the district have time and time again said that a wall at Big Bend will harm their communities and businesses, and it will do nothing for their security,” Padilla Stout said. “This is an example of corrupt Washington politicians refusing to listen to our border communities.”
Companion bills in the Texas House and Senate were also filed this week ahead of the 90th legislative session to ban border infrastructure in state parks.
Meanwhile, the Center for Biological Diversity, a church preservation group and a local river guide are still fighting the plans in court.
Marfa Public Radio reporter Mary Cantrell recently spoke with Center for Biological Diversity attorney Emma Yip about the plaintiff’s reaction to the court’s decision and where the case goes from here. Listen to their conversation in the player above.
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