CBP Pushes 165-Mile West Texas Barrier, Threatening 4,000-Year-Old Rock Art
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
CBP Pushes 165-Mile West Texas Barrier, Threatening 4,000-Year-Old Rock Art
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Summary
A 165-mile vehicle-barrier and patrol-road project in West Texas would cut through Seminole Canyon State Park and put ancient murals, including Fate Bell Shelter, in the path of border construction.
Construction vibrations from blasting and heavy machinery could accelerate limestone spalling and knock painted rock loose hundreds of yards away, archaeologist Carolyn Boyd says, potentially destroying still-undocumented panels.
The plan is backed by $46.5 billion Congress set aside for border expansion, while DHS has waived dozens of laws that normally require surveys, environmental reviews and mitigation for historic sites.
At least 80 known murals would end up south of the new fence even if they survive, restricting access for researchers and Indigenous visitors who regard the sites as sacred and tied to creation stories.
Landowners say CBP began offering $5,000 payments in February to avoid eminent-domain fights in terrain they argue sees little vehicle smuggling, extending a broader backlash that already halted work near Big Bend's Santa Elena Canyon.
Will ongoing legal challenges successfully halt construction before irreversible vibration damage fractures the fragile adobe walls of the Ruidosa church?
What hidden archaeological treasures might be lost forever as new infrastructure cuts through the remote Chihuahuan desert?
Could the heavy machinery meant to secure the border ultimately shatter a century-old symbol of shared heritage in West Texas?