The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration on Monday to resume border wall construction in an area of Texas that includes a national park.
In an unsigned opinion, the top court lifted an injunction from a federal district court that had blocked the administration from restarting its border barrier project in the Big Bend region.
The Supreme Court said the lower court injunction "impedes the Government from advancing its 'compelling interests' in border security and integrity."
"The Government's interest therefore outweighs any aesthetic, recreational, and environmental harm alleged by respondents," the court said.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed the lone dissent to the decision.
The Center for Biological Diversity and others had filed suit challenging the federal government's decision to waive dozens of environmental laws in order to fast-track the $1.7 billion project across Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and the wider region.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to build border barriers, patrol roads, lighting and detection technology in and around Big Bend National Park, known for its spectacular views and rich biodiversity, including hundreds of bird species, bobcats and black bears.
Bulldozers broke ground in August on the public lands that blend desert, river and mountain ecosystems and are home to the famed Santa Elena Canyon, before Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott announced a pause following fierce local opposition that crossed party lines.
The project is part of President Donald Trump's broader push to build an immense border wall with Mexico.
Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the ruling by the Supreme Court a "horrific decision."
"The Trump administration and its contractors are hellbent on destroying one of America's greatest national parks, and the Supreme Court just gave them the green light," Jordahl said in a statement. "They're signing off on the permanent destruction of the wildest place in Texas."
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