A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction Oct. 11 against President Donald Trump’s proposed plan for funding the border wall, finding that it exceeds executive branch authority under the Appropriations Act. Trump issued a proclamation in February declaring a national emergency on the southern border of the US, as both a humanitarian and security crisis. El Paso County, Tex., and the Border Network for Human Rights sued to challenge the proclamation. Going further than previous rulings against the border wall plans, Judge David Briones specifically declared Trump’s emergency proclamation to be “unlawful.” (Jurist, Politico, Oct. 11)
Photo: WikiImages via JuristN
National Butterly Center scores one against ‘border wall’
The North American Butterfly Association has been granted a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed in state district court in Texas to stop construction of a “border wall” on the banks of the Rio Grande River by We Build the Wall, Inc., and its founder Brian Kolfage of Miramar, Florida. (National Butterly Center, Dec. 4)
Note that this case isn’t even against the federal government but some private freelance yahoos who have taken it upon themselves to start building the border wall through the Butterfly Sanctuary. Thank goodness the courts have stopped them (for the moment), but… what the actual fuck?
Judge blocks use of military funds for border wall
Judge David Briones of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas ruled Dec. 11 that President Trump’s attempt to allocate military funds to construct a wall along the Mexican border was beyond his constitutional authority. Briones found that the damage to the plaintiffs—El Paso County and Border Network for Human Rights—was irreparable. Briones’ ruling specifically prohibits the use of military funding for the border wall, but does not prohibit other sources of funding for the project. (Jurist)
Congress approves $1.4 billion for border wall
Well, this is maddening. Even as the Democrats are impeaching Trump, they are capitulating to him. A deal just reached by Congress approves $1.4 billion for the “border barrier.” As the Dallas Morning News reports, this is being met with dismay by Lone Star State reps either side of the aisle.
“It’s a disaster,” said Rep. Filemon Vela, a Brownsville Democrat who voted against the immigration part of the package after imploring his colleagues to “stand up for border communities.” Texas Republicans, meanwhile, are unhappy that the spending is far less than the $8.6 billion that Trump requested for the “barrier.”
And not for the first time…