Border Patrol agents at a section of the US-Mexico border barrier on November 19, 2016. PHOTO | SANDY HUFFAKER | AFP
WASHINGTON
The
US Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favour of President Donald Trump,
allowing him to
proceed with plans to divert billions of dollars in
Pentagon funds towards construction of his border wall with Mexico.
"Wow! Big VICTORY on the Wall," Trump tweeted in reaction to the ruling. "Big WIN for Border Security and the Rule of Law!"
EMERGENCY
Trump
declared a national emergency earlier this year in a bid to bypass
Congress and obtain funding for his signature project, after the
standoff led to the longest government shutdown in US history.
But
about 20 US states along with rights and environmental groups and
border communities are backing lawsuits that claim the emergency
declaration violates the constitution.
Last May, a federal judge on the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals ruled in their favour, issuing a temporary injunction
against using Defense Department funds for wall construction.
On
Friday, the Supreme Court overturned the lower court decision with a
5-4 ruling, writing that the government had "made a sufficient showing
at this stage" that the groups did not have the standing to challenge
the allocation of funds.
The ruling will allow Trump temporary access to some $2.5 billion for the project while the legal battles play out.
The
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) immediately vowed to seek an
expedited decision from the Ninth Circuit "to halt the irreversible and
imminent damage from Trump's border wall."
"Border
communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of
powers will be permanently harmed should Trump get away with pillaging
military funds for a xenophobic border wall Congress denied," said Dror
Ladin, attorney with the ACLU's national security project.
Trump
made the construction of a wall to stem illegal immigration from Latin
America central to his successful 2016 campaign for the presidency.
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