Trump Admin Sues Catholic Diocese to Seize Land for Border Wall

The Trump administration is suing a Catholic diocese in New Mexico to acquire church-owned land near a major pilgrimage site for building a border wall.

The Department of Justice filed the eminent domain lawsuit to take about 14 acres in Doña Ana County from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.

Federal officials claim they need the land near Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park for border security infrastructure, including fencing, roads, lighting, cameras, sensors, and other equipment.

The government has offered $183,071 for the property and utility costs, according to court filings cited by The Independent and local station KFOX14. This proposed taking involves about 14.259 acres near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The diocese is fighting back. It argues that the federal action would disrupt religious life at Mount Cristo Rey, a place that has attracted Catholic pilgrims for nearly 100 years.

The mountain features a 29-foot limestone statue of Jesus Christ and is located at the point where New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico meet.

“The government’s proposed taking will significantly burden the free exercise of religion by the Diocese, its parishioners, and the faithful who seek to connect with God on Diocesan property,” lawyers for the diocese stated in a court filing, according to The Independent.

In a response on May 8, the diocese asked a federal judge to reject the government's request for immediate possession.

Church officials reported that federal authorities had sought access to Mount Cristo Rey for months. They also noted that the proposed project changed during talks with the Department of Justice.

For the diocese, the land means more than just open desert near the border. Church leaders described Mount Cristo Rey as a religious, cultural, and historic site for Catholics across the border region.

In a filing related to the case, the diocese mentioned that thousands of people climb the mountain each year in prayer. This includes the Christ the King pilgrimage, a tradition linked to the statue's construction in the 1930s.

“The construction of a border wall through or near this holy site could irreparably harm its religious and cultural importance, block pilgrimage routes, and turn the sacred space into a symbol of division,” the diocese said in its filing.

The government maintains that the land is necessary to secure the U.S.-Mexico border in New Mexico.

According to KFOX14, the federal filing states that the public purpose is to build, operate, and maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, and similar structures.

This case arises as the administration continues to push for more border wall construction, even in areas where landowners, religious groups, and local officials have resisted federal access.

Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, criticized the lawsuit in a statement to KFOX14/CBS4. She emphasized that Mount Cristo Rey’s religious and cultural significance is crucial to the region and supported the diocese’s opposition to the federal action.