The Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is fighting the Trump administration to halt the construction of a border wall that would run at the base Mount Cristo Rey, a site for Catholic pilgrims from around the world. They are arguing that the construction both conflicts with Catholic teaching and is a violation of religious freedom, while the government says the wall will not impede pilgrims reaching the site and is necessary to secure against human smuggling.
The federal government has claimed eminent domain over the area in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and has already begun demolition, but no wall has been built yet. The “just compensation” that the government would provide to the diocese in return for the 14-acres amounts to $183,071. While Kristi Noem served at the helm of Homeland Security, she waived numerous laws to expedite construction of the 1.3 mile wall, which will be 30-feet high and made of steel.
Mount Cristo Rey is a mountainous site with a 29-foot statue of Jesus at the height of a peak. The statue is nearly 100 years old, and the site is where the land border between the United States and Mexico ends and the Rio Grande begins as the dividing line. Every year, thousands of pilgrims hike the summit, often barefoot. The diocese is arguing that the wall would “profane” the site and would “damage or restrict access to this sacred space.”
After US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) received public comments in 2025 regarding the planned construction, including ones that mentioned concerns about access to the site for pilgrims, CBP stated plainly: “The planned border barrier will be located on the southern base of Mt. Cristo Rey, while the trail leading to the Christ sculpture is located on the northern side of the mountain. Therefore, CBP has determined that the barrier construction will have no adverse impact on the routine pilgrimages nor the historic and cultural significance of Mount Cristo Rey.”
CBP also wrote that “the purpose of this project is to secure this area which has seen a significant increase in illicit cross-border traffic.” Part of the construction will actually occur on federal land, and the wall will be “several hundred feet below the statue” according to the New York Times. In addition to pilgrims, the site “attracted those looking to cross into the United States illegally. As migrant apprehensions soared, members of the restoration committee, among the mountain’s most frequent visitors, noticed an uptick in vandalism and crime at the site.”
Ruben Escandon, Jr is a spokesman for the Mount Cristo Rey Restoration Committee which provides maintenance for the site. He acknowledged that Border Patrol efforts within the past couple years in the vicinity has actually alleviated security concerns and made the site feel safer. Vandalism has been a problem in the past, he said in an interview in early April. “Now with this fence that’s coming up on the backside, of course it will be a little safer for people to come up without the fear of people jumping over and doing harm,” although he previously said the security concerns had “nothing to do with immigration.”
At that point, Escandon, Jr. was not concerned about the construction of the border wall impacting the integrity of the site and said the wall is far enough from the monument that “it hasn’t affected us in any way.”
The diocese, however, is resisting construction. In a May 2026 legal filing, it wrote, “The erection of a border wall through or along this holy site could irreparably damage its religious and cultural sanctity, obstruct pilgrimage routes, and transfer sacred space into a symbol of division. Any federal action to seize this land, construct physical barriers, or impede access to Mount Cristo Rey would constitute a significant infringement on religious freedom and the rights of worship.”
The diocese contended that “[t]he Government’s proposed taking will substantially burden the free exercise of religion by the Diocese, its parishioners, and the other faithful who seek to commune with God on Diocesan property. The Diocese therefore intends to raise defenses to the intended taking under the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).”
In a separate filing in June, the diocese stated that the border wall on the site is “offensive to Catholic values and teachings,” and “a physical symbol of the Government’s dehumanizing treatment of migrants writ large.”
“Nothing could be less Catholic,” they argued.
The Trump administration says “the area is a high-traffic route for human smuggling and it wants to close the gap to stop illegal immigration. The area has also been the site of a record number of migrant deaths since the state and federal government has increased military surveillance in this part of Texas, even as the number of immigrants crossing has plummeted,” according to the Texas Tribune. The New York Times added that the diocese has not objected to Border Patrol generally securing the area, even allowing the government to carve out a road at no charge and has not objected to the government’s use of cameras and sensors near the site.
Save and Share This Catholic Patriotic Minute!
