Rep. Veronica Escobar, D‑Texas, introduced legislation to bar the government from taking Mount Cristo Rey by eminent domain as it seeks diocesan land for border fencing.
The legislation (H.R. 9739) follows the Trump administration’s move to seize about 14 acres of land surrounding the base of Mount Cristo Rey — a prominent mountain in Sunland Park, New Mexico, overlooking the Texas and Mexico borders.
If enacted, the bill would recognize Mount Cristo Rey as a holy site and prohibit the use of federal funds to litigate against the Diocese of Las Cruces in its lawsuit challenging the federal attempt to seize the land.
It also would prohibit federal funds from being used “to construct, install, operate, or maintain roads, fencing, vehicle barriers, security lighting, cameras, sensors, or related structures” on or near the mountain, according to the bill, which lacks co-sponsors.
"Rather than working with border communities to advance effective border security, the Trump Administration continues to disregard the people, history, and culture that make our region special,” Escobar said in a press release.
“Mount Cristo Rey is a religious and cultural landmark that has been central to our community for generations," she said.
Owned by the Diocese of Las Cruces, Mount Cristo Rey welcomes visitors each year to the small mountain that houses a nearly-century-old statue of Jesus Christ that has been a pilgrimage site for decades.
The diocese has said that the government’s proposed border security at the base of the mountain would negatively affect pilgrims coming to the site.
Escobar’s legislation says: "The Federal Government’s attempt to seize the land around Mount Cristo Rey for the purposes of border wall construction infringes upon the religious liberty of the Catholic Church and all visitors to the holy site.”
Support from Catholic border bishops
The bill has received support from border bishops including Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas.
In a press release, Seitz said he will “support this bill which would call the federal government to set aside a heavy-handed abuse of power against this sacred place.”
“For the federal government to forcefully take this holy ground to build a tall barrier topped with razor wire would represent an overreach on the part of the government and create a sign that speaks, not of mutual respect and love, but of separation and rejection,” Seitz said.
“I am confident that through negotiation with the rightful owners of the property, the Church of Las Cruces, solutions can be found to provide for the deterrence of unauthorized entry into this country while at the same time preserving the integrity of Mount Cristo Rey,” Seitz said.
“For generations, the faithful from the cities, farms and villages of the borderland have climbed Mount Cristo Rey and united as a single community for prayer and celebration at the feet of Christ the King,” Baldacchino said.
Baldacchino previously defended the sanctuary “and devotion which has brought many people in our community to God” during the ongoing dispute by climbing Mount Cristo Rey and celebrating Mass at the mountain’s peak on June 28.
"In a world fractured by political, racial and economic divisions, Mount Cristo Rey stands out as both a powerful symbol of hope and peace and a literal pathway to unity,” he said in the press release.
