Judge Lets Big Bend Border Wall Construction Proceed — For Now
A federal judge on Sunday declined to block construction on the Trump administration’s border wall through Texas’s Big Bend region, dealing a setback to local officials who had sued to stop the project.
The case was brought by the Presidio Municipal Development District (PMDD), a local economic development entity in the small border city of Presidio. PMDD sued in June, arguing the administration violated the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 by planning to build the wall atop the city’s levee system without approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, warning the plan could cause “deadly” flash flooding.
The administration’s response came quickly: on July 2, just two weeks after the lawsuit was filed, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin waived the law in question, allowing agencies to bypass it entirely.
In Sunday’s ruling, Judge Walton found that DHS’s broad waiver authority under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act meant PMDD couldn’t argue the project violated a law the agency was legally permitted to sidestep. DHS has said it still intends to collaborate with the Army Corps, and that a final wall design through Presidio isn’t yet set, even as construction timelines could begin as early as this month.
This ruling is the latest chapter in a much longer fight.
Since October 2025, DHS has issued a series of waivers covering procurement, environmental, and cultural-resource laws to fast-track construction across the Big Bend region, including inside Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
In June, DHS took the unprecedented step of waiving dozens of environmental laws at once — including the National Park Service Organic Act and Endangered Species Act — to authorize barriers and roads through both parks. Former park superintendents, county judges, conservation groups, and more than 130 local businesses have all pushed back, citing minimal migrant crossings in the area and irreversible environmental damage.
Timeline of the Big Bend Border Wall Fight
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | DHS waives federal procurement laws border-wide |
| Feb 2026 | DHS issues environmental/cultural waiver for Big Bend |
| Apr 2026 | Lawsuit filed to block wall in Big Bend National Park; county judges demand transparency |
| Jun 2026 | DHS waives dozens more environmental laws; PMDD sues over Presidio levee plan |
| Jul 2026 | DHS waives Rivers and Harbors Act for Presidio project |
| Aug 2026 | Judge declines to block construction; timelines could begin this month |
With the waiver authority largely unchallenged in court so far, opponents’ remaining options are narrow: appeal, argue procedural claims unrelated to waived statutes, or push Congress to cut funding.
From The New York Times.
For now, construction preparations continue.
Sources:
- Marfa Public Radio, “Judge declines to block Big Bend area border wall” (Aug. 2, 2026)
- KUT Austin, “Judge declines to block Big Bend area border wall” (Aug. 2, 2026)
- Houston Public Media, “Lawsuit claims Big Bend area border wall could lead to ‘deadly’ flooding risk” (Jun. 18, 2026)
- Center for Biological Diversity, “Lawsuit Expanded to Challenge Border Barrier Construction Through Big Bend National Park” (Jun. 11, 2026)
- Center for Biological Diversity, “Lawsuit Challenges Big Bend Border Wall Construction” (Apr. 16, 2026)
- National Parks Traveler, “Texas Border County Judges Urge Transparency In Plans For Big Bend Border Wall” (Apr. 24, 2026)
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Officer Daniel Kessler was feverishly texting his girlfriend before he slammed into another car, leaving the driver with severe injuries. (Austin American-Statesman)
A crowd gathered outside Austin City Hall on Thursday to demand accountability after the fatal officer-involved shooting of 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II, with organizers urging the city to rethink what public safety should look like.
Pflugerville voters could soon decide whether to require new oversight for the city’s use of artificial intelligence, facial recognition and surveillance technology.
Austin lobbyists spend most of their time targeting city staff, not Mayor Kirk Watson or the City Council. The most contacted officials are the planners and reviewers who evaluate zoning, development, and policy proposals before they go up for a vote. (Austin American-Statesman)
The city’s budget office will soon present its plan for the upcoming fiscal year.
District 10 Council member Marc Duchen is holding a budget town hall this evening.
Endeavor and environmental activists mounted rival campaigns to sway Austin’s vote on the Dog’s Head development.
Here’s what went on behind the scenes. (Austin Current)
Frustration, confusion and anger for parents of Paredes Middle School students in the wake of Austin ISD‘s vote to close it.
City of Austin Park Rangers stated Sunday that they have noticed break-ins in areas including Bull Creek, Mt. Bonnell, St. Edwards Greenbelt, and other popular trail parking spots around town.
Travis County Fire Rescue responded to a approximately 2-acre brush fire near Homannville Trail and SH 130 Sunday afternoon near Mendoza.
Some Buda residents will likely experience pressure issues this morning as crews work to refill a water storage tank.
The Austin Zoo is welcoming a new tiger.
City crews are providing street maintenance on South 1st Street between Cesar Chavez Street and Riverside Drive (across the bridge) six nights a week for the next couple weeks.
WEATHER
SUNDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The Austin area enters what is historically the hottest part of the summer and a time when heat-related emergency calls rise.
TRAVEL FORECAST
Triple digits in Central Texas with a stormy pattern along the East Coast. High pressure ridge steers away storm systems for now.
(Video from August 2, 2026)
Food bank leaders in Texas say proposed SNAP funding changes could strain Texas and make it harder for families to put food on the table.
More than 200 local law enforcement agencies have data-sharing agreements with DPS, providing wide access to vehicle information. (Texas Tribune)
Former Fort Worth U.S. Rep. Kay Granger has died. She was 83.
AVERAGE GAS PRICES (Source: AAA)
Bexar County authorities announced a large drug seizure and arrest.
In Caldwell County over the weekend, deputies with the Caldwell County Constable Precinct 2 Warrant Division located and arrested a man wanted on drug charges.
Today marks the 7th anniversary of the August 3, 2019, mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso.
On that day, 21-year-old gunman Patrick Crusius shot 45 people, killing 23 and injuring 22 others. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the mass shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime, and it remains the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern American history.
A North Texas community honored a fallen solider Saturday.
Data Center Incentives – A Texas Senate Finance Committee hearing held July 27 examined the state’s sales tax exemptions for data center projects, which could cost the state $3.3 billion in forgone taxes during the 2028-29 budget cycle.
Concrete Cancer – Alkali-silica reaction (ASR), also called “concrete cancer,” happens when minerals in rocks and sand react with cement, forming a gel that swells as it absorbs water. The state is known nationally as a hot spot for this type of structural defect that costs thousands of dollars to fix. There are now lawsuits and previous legislation attempts to address the problem.
Talarico Leads Paxton Among Black Voters, But Voter Turnout Concerns Persist – Since defeating Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico vowed to earn the vote of her supporters in his race against Republican candidate Ken Paxton. Talarico has held town halls in Dallas and Houston for Black voters to listen and question him. On July 22, he acknowledged that he faced some tough questions from the town halls.
(Episode from August 2, 2026)
A year after historic flooding killed more than 130 people in the Texas Hill Country, another flood hits the region. Was the community prepared this time around?
The floodwaters are gone, but volunteers say families across the Hill Country still need help clearing debris and rebuilding their lives.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in North Texas woke up to a $1 million prize after Saturday’s drawing.
SPORTS
MLB: Yordan Alvarez tied a career high with four hits, Jeremy Peña hit a home run, and the Houston Astros used a four-run seventh inning to pull away from the Texas Rangers 7-3 on Sunday and complete a series sweep. (Associated Press via MSN)
Houston is on top of the American League West
The Astros completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park this weekend, outscoring their in-state rivals 23-9 across the series, including an 11-2 rout in the opener and a 7-3 finale win on Sunday. The sweep pushes Houston past Texas and into first place in the division.
Current AL West Standings:
| Rank | Team | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Astros | 58 | 55 |
| 2 | Texas Rangers | 55 | 57 |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | 55 | 58 |
| 4 | Athletics | 45 | 67 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Angels | 43 | 69 |
The Astros now turn their attention to a three-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays starting Monday night, while the Rangers look to regroup as they try to hang on to a Wild Card spot.
Baseball’s biggest wheeling-and-dealing day of the summer has arrived. Teams across both leagues have until 6 p.m. ET today to finalize trades involving 40-man roster players.
The Houston Astros are riding momentum in more ways than one heading into today’s deadline. Fresh off a dominating sweep of the Rangers, who came into the series in first place, Houston has vaulted to the top of the AL West on the strength of a six-game winning streak.
For Texas, the sweep drops the Rangers from first place and adds pressure of its own: does a club that spent most of the summer atop the division pivot to bolstering its roster, or start weighing what it might sell?
Both AL West rivals now have hours to decide before the deadline closes on trade season for good.
The Texas Longhorns gear up for a high-stakes 2026 season with five critical position battles set to define their championship ambitions.
Will newcomers like Laurence Seymore stabilize a shaky offensive line, and can the running back trio of Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers, and Derrick Cooper become the most dynamic in college football?
Dallas is spending roughly $800 million to rebuild the I-30 crossing over Lake Ray Hubbard, but this project is about far more than one bridge. The video traces how a reservoir built in the 1960s cut across a major east-west travel path, how old U.S. 67 evolved into the modern I-30 corridor, and why this crossing became one of the most failure-prone choke points on the east side of the metro.
