Border

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow construction on border walls and other barriers across the Big Bend region of West Texas to continue. The request comes after a federal district judge blocked the construction amid an ongoing legal fight.

The Trump administration on Thursday asked a federal judge to allow border construction to resume across the Big Bend region. The administration says it plans to take the case to the Supreme Court.

A federal judge has ordered all border-related construction to stop immediately in Texas’ Big Bend region, including in Big Bend National Park. As Marfa Public Radio’s Mary Cantrell reports, the emergency injunction will remain in effect while a lawsuit moves forward. A new case of New World screwworm has been confirmed in a dog in Brewster County, bringing the U.S. total to 53 since June. Animal owners are urged to regularly check for wounds or maggots and immediately report any suspected infestations.

At a Friday hearing in El Paso, a U.S. District Judge ordered all construction on the Big Bend area border wall project to stop immediately — including in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The order also included the stay of federal waivers that expedited the project.

Part of the Trump administration's 175-mile steel border wall through the region is now under construction in Hudspeth County, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A lawsuit filed Monday takes aim at federal agencies' use of waivers to expedite construction of a wall along the border with Mexico and claims that landowner's constitutional rights are being violated.

Sonora's cattle ranchers' union says the border will reopen to live cattle after a "technical problem" is resolved.

The Trump administration has tried to lower beef prices for months, but demand, drought and a parasite have foiled its efforts. Some ranchers are frustrated with the administration's latest moves.

The case comes just days before the U.S.-Mexico border is scheduled to reopen to cattle, starting with the Arizona-Sonora border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Monday he was "pausing all construction activity" in the West Texas park ahead of a visit to the region this week. Scott's visit comes after two weeks of public outcry over images of bulldozers and other heavy machinery clearing land in the park.