NPR reported that on Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas blocked the Trump administration from using $3.6 billion in military construction funds to help pay for a wall on the southern border.
According to NPR, the suit was brought by El Paso County and the Border Network for Human Rights. It argued that the administration overstepped its authority by declaring a national emergency in an attempt to use the funds.
According to the article, U.S. District Judge David Briones of El Paso ruled that the administration’s use of emergency funds for border wall development is unlawful. However, the administration was within the law in using $2.5 billion for drug interdiction efforts.
According to the Washington Post, the administration was planning to use the funds to build 175 miles of steel barriers. The court’s ruling is also a setback for Trump’s pledge to erect 450 miles of fencing by the end of 2020.
Source: NPR & The Washington Post
