A church, a Jesus statue and a border wall: Inside Trump's latest land acquisition battle

The Trump administration seeks 14.529 acres at the base of Mount Cristo Rey for a 30-foot steel bollard wall under a $95 million contract.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, which owns most of the mountain, opposes the land acquisition and wall construction, citing religious freedom violations.

The Department of Justice filed a condemnation lawsuit against the diocese on May 7, and blasting began on the mountain's southern flank in spring 2025.

Mount Cristo Rey features a 29-foot limestone statue of Jesus carved in 1939, and it is a pilgrimage site for over 40,000 annual visitors from Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua, Mexico.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived more than 20 federal laws at the site in June 2025, including the National Historic Preservation Act.