Border Wall Construction Threatens 6,000 Years of History on Private Lands
Border wall construction in West Texas is facing opposition due to its potential impact on archeological sites and private land. While some construction has been paused due to lawsuits, the government continues to plan infrastructure projects that threaten historical areas dating back to AD 800.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the tension between national border security policies and the preservation of cultural heritage and private property rights.
The US Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection awarded billions of dollars in contracts this year toward the construction of a wall and other barriers in West Texas along a remote 500-plus-mile (800-plus-kilometer) riverfront expanse of the US-Mexico border that includes Big Bend National Park and other idyllic parklands.
Bipartisan backlash against border wall construction in the national park was swift, ultimately prompting DHS to scuttle plans for a 30-foot steel bollard wall, instead replacing it with miles of riverside vehicle barriers and 200-plus miles of road construction. Bulldozers began clearing along the Rio Grande corridor near Santa Elena Canyon on August 6.
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