US Border Wall Is Desecrating Sacred Sites, Indigenous Leaders Warn
Summary
Construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall is damaging sacred Indigenous sites like Kuuchamaa Mountain and a 1,000-year-old geoglyph in Arizona. Indigenous leaders and religious groups have raised concerns and are considering legal actions to stop the destruction.Key Facts
- The border wall construction is harming places important to Indigenous people, including Kuuchamaa Mountain, which is sacred to the Kumeyaay Nation.
- Tribal leaders say the use of explosives and heavy machinery on these sites happened without their permission.
- Destroying sacred Native American sites on federal or tribal land is a serious crime punishable by law.
- A 1,000-year-old fish-shaped geoglyph in Arizona, sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation, was accidentally damaged by contractors.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a waiver to bypass environmental rules to speed up wall construction.
- The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces is legally fighting the government’s plan to take land that includes a religious pilgrimage site at Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico.
- Border officials say the wall helps stop illegal crossings and drug trafficking, even though illegal crossings have recently dropped.
- DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are in talks with tribal leaders about protecting these sites and deciding on next steps.
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