The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on May 14 pushed back on a report suggesting the Trump administration’s border wall project would affect the Mount Cristo Rey pilgrimage site in New Mexico, saying the planned construction work is south of the shrine and will not disrupt access for pilgrims.
Responding on X to an Independent report regarding the dispute, DHS called suggestions that the wall would interfere with the shrine “LUDICROUS.” The agency said the work is within 250 feet of the southern border, while the 29-foot-tall statue of the Crucifixion atop Mount Cristo Rey is about 1,300 to 1,400 feet north of the border. The mountain draws thousands of pilgrims from both the U.S. and Mexico each year.
These claims are LUDICROUS.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 14, 2026
Smart wall construction in this area is located within 250 feet of the southern border, well south of the Mount Cristo Rey cross and access road.
The cross is located approximately A QUARTER MILE — 1,300 to 1,400 feet — north of the border ON TOP… https://t.co/RDUuGSM88y pic.twitter.com/MOWrck8w50
“Access to the shrine will NOT be affected, as all attendees enter from the U.S. side,” the agency said.
DHS also said the project would primarily affect migrants attempting to cross illegally through remote desert terrain south of the site.
The statement comes after the Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, opposed the federal government’s lawsuit seeking to acquire about 14.2 acres of diocesan-owned land at the base of Mount Cristo Rey. According to court documents, the government is seeking to acquire the land through eminent domain.
The filing says the property would be used “to construct, install, operate, and maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, and related structures designed to help secure the United States/Mexico border.”
As Zeale News previously reported, the diocese argued in a May 8 district court filing that the project would violate its First Amendment rights and protections under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The diocese warned that building the 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.”
In its report, Zeale News cited a statement from the diocese’s attorney, Kathryn Brack Morrow, who called the government’s effort “an affront to religious liberty” and said the diocese would do all it can to “stop these heavy-handed tactics.”