Las Cruces Diocese fights federal seizure of Mount Cristo Rey shrine for border wall

The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces is contesting a federal eminent‑domain lawsuit that seeks to take a 14‑acre parcel containing the Mount Cristo Rey pilgrimage site in Sunland Park, New Mexico. The government has offered $183,071 as just compensation and plans to extend a border wall across the land, a move the diocese says violates the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

The diocese has asked the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico for a jury trial on the adequacy of compensation, arguing that the offered amount is far lower than the valuation of an adjacent state‑owned parcel. A judge has already ordered the $183,071 to be deposited with the court. The dispute centers on concerns that the wall would “deface” the 29‑foot limestone statue of Christ, restrict access to the shrine, and undermine the diocese’s stewardship responsibilities. Annual pilgrimages draw tens of thousands of faithful to the site, underscoring its religious and cultural significance.

The case highlights tensions between border‑security priorities and religious‑freedom protections, with the diocese asserting that the seizure is an affront to Catholic values and a precedent for government overreach.