The White House’s border wall expansion is once again facing scrutiny over its environmental impact. Construction on an additional wall — located 150-200 feet inland of Arizona’s existing wall — had already drawn ire for its impacts on wildlife and Native American tribes. By building this secondary wall in a protected area of the Sonoran Desert, construction has now destroyed a sacred site to indigenous tribes.
Last week, a DHS contractor working on the wall damaged a 1,000-year-old piece of indigenous art. U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the damage to GearJunkie on Monday. Conservationists, Native American tribes, and local Congressional representatives have all criticized the administration for the site’s destruction and demanded more oversight.
What Happened
Back in March, documents on Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) website indicated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would build 42 miles of a 30-foot wall, located approximately 150 to 200 feet inland of the existing wall, in Arizona. In the first Trump Administration, DHS waived 41 environmental, historic preservation, and Native American protection laws to expedite border wall construction in the state.
Part of the land in question lies within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, an 860,000-acre piece of the Sonoran Desert managed by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The area includes parts of the U.S.–Mexico border, around 160 miles west of Tucson.
The Hia-ced O’odham and Tohono O’odham peoples have lived in this area for thousands of years, with multiple important sacred sites in the region. In a press release, the Tohono O’odham Nation announced that it learned on April 28 that a DHS contractor working on the wall “destroyed an identified sacred site.”
The structure is known as Las Playas Intaglio, a large design carved into the ground that is 1,000 years old and resembles a fish. It was located next to the existing border wall. A photograph of the destroyed fish carving is available from Archaeology Southwest.
Reaction From Tribes
This news of the structure’s destruction came after tribal representatives met with new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on April 21. “While the Secretary displayed an understanding and sensitivity to the Nation’s concerns, he was also clear that his direction is to construct a wall on the vast majority of the US-Mexico border. It was also made clear that the federal government is attempting to move very quickly on wall construction,” another press release said.
The Nation said that the damage was a “scar on the hearts” of its members: “This was a devastating and entirely avoidable loss. There is nothing more important than our history, which is what makes us who we are as O’odham. The site was also an irreplaceable part of the United States’ history, one none of us can ever get back,” Chairman Verlon M. Jose said.
In an email to GearJunkie, a representative of Customs and Border Protection confirmed the damage: “On April 23, 2026, a border wall contractor inadvertently disturbed a cultural site known as Las Playas Intaglio, located west of Ajo, Arizona along the border. Commissioner Scott is engaged directly with tribal leadership to determine appropriate next steps. The remaining portion of the site has been secured and will be protected in place.”
‘Beyond Mere Vandalism’
Archaeology Southwest, a nonprofit focused on historic preservation, criticized CBP for the damage.
“We stand with our Tribal partners in denouncing this egregious abuse of executive power to circumvent our country’s hard-fought environmental laws for political gain,” preservation anthropologist and rock imagery expert Aaron Wright said in a press release. “This is beyond mere vandalism. It was a deliberate act of harm, disgrace, and disrespect carried out in our names, on our public land, and with our tax monies. An awesome spiritual expression in the Sonoran Desert that peered into the sky for the last millennium, if not longer, is gone.”
The Congresswoman for this district, Democrat Adelita S. Grijalva, also issued a statement in response to the news. “Bulldozing a 1,000-year-old sacred site is not an accident — it’s the predictable result of rushing forward with a (second) wasteful border wall. It is a blatant act of disrespect and an unacceptable violation of tribal sovereignty, traditions, and the ancestry of the O’odham people,” Rep. Grijalva said.
Lack of Transparency
Back when plans for this border wall were announced, the two largest objections centered on harm to wildlife and damage to Native American sites. Planned construction indicates that another sacred Indigenous site — A’al Vaipia — also falls within the wall’s path and could face damage or disruption.
The future plans for border wall construction are unclear at this time.
On April 23, CBP removed the map showing border wall construction, which was one of the only tools to know where, when, and how construction would take place.
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