DOJ asks Supreme Court to allow border wall construction in Big Bend region

Washington — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to resume for now construction of a border wall and other infrastructure through a remote area of West Texas that includes Big Bend National Park.The Justice Department urged the high court to lift a lower court injunction that temporarily bars the Department of Homeland Security from building the barrier or related infrastructure in the Big Bend Sector, which covers more than 500 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border and 77 counties in Texas. "The district court's injunction significantly frustrates the government's ability to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs across the southern border," Solicitor General D.

John Sauer wrote in the request for emergency relief. "The Secretary identified the Big Bend project areas at issue because of the high rates of illegal-alien crossings and drug smuggling in the region over the past several years."President Trump's promise to build a wall along the southern border has been a hallmark of his immigration agenda for the last decade. But earlier this year, the president's plans were met with significant pushback from lawmakers in both parties, cattle ranchers and local law enforcement officials in Texas when photos and videos shared to social media showed bulldozers arriving at Big Bend National Park.In response to the backlash, Customs and Border