Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP / Getty Images
The Supreme Court has given the green light for President Donald Trump to proceed with the construction of a border wall in the Big Bend region of Texas. This decision, made on Monday (November 9), marks a significant victory for President Trump, who has made the border wall a key part of his immigration policy. The ruling allows construction to continue while legal challenges are ongoing, according to Bloomberg.
The project, which includes vehicle barriers, patrol roads, and detection technology, has faced opposition from environmentalists and locals. They argue that it will permanently alter the landscape and damage historic and cultural sites. The Big Bend area reportedly accounts for only about 1% of migrant arrests along the southern border, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Only liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented in the Supreme Court's decision. Previously, a federal judge in Texas had blocked the construction, stating that the Department of Homeland Security was likely acting illegally by bypassing environmental and other laws. The Justice Department had urged the Supreme Court to lift this injunction, arguing that Congress had authorized the construction and the waiving of legal requirements to expedite the process.
The legal battle over the border wall is expected to continue, with environmental groups and other challengers seeking to preserve the region's landscape and protect historic sites. The project's opponents have also raised concerns about the federal government's waivers of environmental and historical laws to fast-track the $1.7 billion project.