BROWNSVILLE, Texas— Conservation and Tribal groups today asked a federal judge to halt a deal that would privatize and hand over 727 acres of public land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge to SpaceX, warning that the deal could be finalized before the courts have a chance to rule on its legality.

“Federal officials are racing to fork over America’s public lands to one of wealthiest corporations on Earth before the courts can even weigh in,” said Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This refuge is one of the last places left for the public to enjoy nature in the Rio Grande Valley. Why should Texans be forced to surrender even more of their public lands to a trillion-dollar corporation? The court has to intervene now because once these refuge lands are transferred to SpaceX they’re gone forever.”

Today’s motion seeks to freeze the land exchange until the court resolves the underlying lawsuit filed earlier this month by the Tribal and conservation groups. Without prompt action by the court, the refuge parcels could be permanently transferred to SpaceX within weeks, accelerating industrial expansion into one of the most ecologically important landscapes in South Texas.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1979 to protect its diverse wildlife, including rare animals like ocelots, aplomado falcons and migratory birds such as piping plovers, red knots, green jays and Altamira orioles. The refuge protects some of the best remaining habitat in the United States for the endangered ocelot.

In 2014 SpaceX chose the nearby Boca Chica area as the location for a rocket launch site and a test site, and it has rapidly expanded its operations and activities in the area. In 2025 the Federal Aviation Administration authorized SpaceX to conduct 25 Starship launches per year — a fivefold increase from the previous limit. Some of these launches have resulted in catastrophic explosions that have propelled debris, including concrete and metal, more than 6 miles onto refuge lands.

Post-explosion surveys have revealed environmental damage to nearby lands on the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. A 2024 study found that after one launch every single monitored shorebird nest near the launch site suffered egg damage or loss. Instead of taking any enforcement actions or working with SpaceX to reduce or eliminate its harm to the refuge, the Service is now citing the resulting degradation as justification for handing the public land to SpaceX.

The refuge lands being transferred to SpaceX also include significant portions of the Palmito Ranch Battlefield National Historic Landmark, the site of the final battle of the Civil War.

The proposed land exchange was first made public in March, but records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show internal agency planning began as early as April 2025. In those discussions with the regional director of the Service, the agency developed “the most expedited schedule possible” for completing a land transfer and recommended hiring additional staff to meet what they described as an “optimum timeframe.”

Since the June 10 lawsuit was filed, the Service has refused all requests by the plaintiff groups to voluntarily pause the land exchange. SpaceX intervened in the lawsuit and joined the government in seeking to have the case transferred to federal court in South Texas, a move that plaintiffs fear would further delay the case.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are the Center for Biological Diversity, Save RGV, the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc, and South Texas Environmental Justice Network. Plaintiffs are represented by Center attorneys.