{"id":21558,"date":"2025-07-03T17:54:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/advocates-mount-cristo-rey-wall-will-worsen-migrant-deaths-erosion-habitat-loss\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:07:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:07:22","slug":"advocates-mount-cristo-rey-wall-will-worsen-migrant-deaths-erosion-habitat-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/advocates-mount-cristo-rey-wall-will-worsen-migrant-deaths-erosion-habitat-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocates: Mount Cristo Rey wall will worsen migrant deaths, erosion, habitat loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"An
An undated photo of a youth hike hosted by Las Cruces nonprofit Nuestra Tierra to the top of Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection proposal for a wall on the southern side of the mountain sparked protests from conservation groups and other advocates. Courtesy of Angel Pe\u00f1a<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection proposal to construct a 1.3-mile barrier along the southern skirt of a Sunland Park mountain threatens the area, local conservation groups say.<\/p>\n

Most of Mount Cristo Rey lies in southern Do\u00f1a Ana County, rising from the banks of the Rio Grande in an expanse of Chihuahuan desert, mottled with olive-green chaparral and ocotillo. The mountain hosts a 29-foot tall limestone statue of Jesus Christ on the cross, and draws thousands of people every year in pilgrimage from the surrounding areas in Las Cruces, El Paso and Ju\u00e1rez. The area is also a popular hiking and mountain biking area.<\/p>\n

The proposal would widen roads to construct a 30-foot high steel barrier and an additional one and a half miles of roadway in Do\u00f1a Ana County. The wall would stretch over the mountain\u2019s southern portion, which stretches to the Anapra neighborhood in Ju\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n

\"The
The rough terrain of Mount Cristo Rey interrupts the border wall which then continues west on flatter ground. Corrie Boudreaux\/for Source NM<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In announcing the project at the start of June, the Department of Homeland Security said it would \u201cclose critical gaps in the border wall and enhance border security operations\u201d in the border areas in El Paso, Tucson and Yuma.<\/p>\n

When reached by phone, CBP spokesperson Landon Hutchison added that Mount Cristo Rey \u201cwas a major human smuggling infiltration site for the cartels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also in June, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived federal environment and water laws to speed up border wall construction projects, including more than 12 miles between Santa Teresa and Mount Cristo Rey. The waivers exempt projects from requirements of 24 federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) whose district encompasses Sunland Park, declined to say if he supports the project when reached for comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI support responsible efforts to keep our border secure and our communities safe. That includes smart investments in technology and, where needed, physical barriers,\u201d Vasquez said in a written statement. \u201cWe can keep our country safe while also respecting the environment, cultural heritage, and the people who call this region home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of El Paso-Las Cruces coalition No Border Walls on Mount Cristo Rey, however, urged the public to submit public comments on the project \u2013 which they say threatens to worsen migrant deaths, erosion and habitat loss for the area \u2013 before a July 3 feedback deadline.<\/p>\n

While CBP data shows border crossings declined by nearly 80% in the last year, deaths of people crossing the border in the area around El Paso and New Mexico have risen sharply since 2021, and, in 2024, it became the deadliest place for migrants to cross along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is pretty disheartening to see,\u201d Antoinette Reyes, the Southern New Mexico coordinator for Sierra Club Rio Grande chapter, told Source NM. \u201cBy blocking off that section, which is already steep and difficult terrain as is, it forces people to go into more dangerous portions of the border to cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

Injuries from climbing over the walls can result in life-changing injuries, said Dr. Brian Elmore, an emergency room physician in El Paso. He\u2019s treated people who fell from the border walls, which can cause severe ankle breaks, as well as head and back injuries. The summer\u2019s heat, combined with difficult terrain, could pose additional concerns, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think by expanding the border wall, you threaten to turn this place of recreation, this place of worship, into a graveyard,\u201d Elmore said. \u201cI would expect to see more people falling from the wall there, suffering heat injuries, in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Construction of the border wall would also require high water use for pouring concrete to reinforce the roads for heavy machinery, said Erik Meza, a coordinator for the Sierra Club Borderlands program in Tucson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will probably need to widen some of those roads, so that means that they are going to start bulldozing some of the native vegetation of the area, reducing a habitat for species,\u201d he said. \u201cBy compacting the soils, we\u2019re probably going to have more water runoff and erosion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The area is crucial for species such as javelina and mule deer, but also the birds, reptiles and pollinators that cross the habitat, said Raymundo Aguilar, a member of the Ju\u00e1rez conservation group Colectivo Sierra de Ju\u00e1rez. He noted that scientists documented an endangered Mexican Gray wolf crossing the border in the area in 2017, and the construction of a wall with 4-inch gaps between steel bollards would prevent most species from moving freely.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtecting this corridor is not only urgent; it is a commitment to the life we share on both sides of the border,\u201d Aguilar said in Spanish. \u201cWe believe that efforts should focus on restoring this connectivity, not fragmenting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source NM is an independent, nonprofit news organization that shines a light on governments, policies and public officials.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

comment on the federal border project ends July 3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1030,28,904,138,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-21558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-environment","tag-headlines","tag-immigration","tag-new-mexico","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77360,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21558\/revisions\/77360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21558"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=21558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}