Photo: A group of Central American migrants looks through the U.S.-Mexico border fence after they crossed the borderline while a Border Patrol agent looks on El Paso, Texas, U.S May 15, 2019./ VCG

A US federal judge on Friday issued a temporary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's administration from using Defense Department funds to pay for construction of barriers on the border with Mexico.

The ruling is a blow to Trump, who declared an emergency in a bid to bypass Congress and obtain funds for his border wall project -- a signature campaign promise.

Trump administration officials "are enjoined from taking any action to construct a border barrier in the areas defendants have identified as Yuma Sector Project 1 and El Paso Sector Project 1 using funds reprogrammed by DoD," Judge Haywood Gilliam ordered, referring to the Department of Defense.