#USA #NM – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces demanded a jury trial on July 6, 2026, as it intensified its legal fight against the Trump administration’s effort to seize sacred land at Mount Cristo Rey for border wall construction.
The diocese filed the demand in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, rejecting the government’s offered compensation of $183,071 as inadequate and continuing to argue that the taking violated its religious freedoms. The move came weeks after hundreds of faithful joined Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Auxiliary Bishop Anthony C. Celino of El Paso for a pilgrimage and Mass atop the mountain on June 28.
Mount Cristo Rey, a 4,675-foot peak overlooking the tri-border region of New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, had long stood as a revered pilgrimage site. A 29-foot limestone statue of Christ the King, erected nearly a century earlier, crowned the summit and drew thousands of hikers each year for prayer and reflection. The diocese described the mountain as a “holy site” symbolizing unity and hope across borders.
The federal government initiated eminent domain proceedings on May 7, seeking roughly 14 acres at the southern base of the mountain to install fencing, roads, cameras, sensors, and other security infrastructure. Officials maintained that the project would close a gap in the border barrier in the El Paso sector without interrupting access to the shrine from the U.S. side. They deposited the proposed compensation in court on June 15 following a ruling by U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales.
In court filings, the diocese contended that the wall would “deface” the sacred landscape, obstruct pilgrimage routes, and transform a place of worship into a symbol of division. Lawyers invoked the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, asserting that the government had not pursued the least restrictive means to achieve its border security goals. The diocese also challenged the valuation, noting that a nearby state-owned parcel of similar size received a significantly higher appraisal.
Bishop Baldacchino, who led the June pilgrimage with support from the dioceses of El Paso and Santa Fe, described the gathering as a powerful expression of faith amid conflict. “This is not a matter of politics, but a matter of preserving and defending a sanctuary,” he stated in a reflection following the event.
The Trump administration defended the action as essential for national security, pointing to the area’s history as a smuggling corridor. A hearing on the government’s request for immediate possession of the land had been scheduled for July 23, with an online status conference set for July 16.
Image: Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico in 2013.
