Mount Cristo Rey bill seeks to block federal land seizure

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…