Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 05/15/2026 10:11:59 AM PDT by CedarDave
The federal government last week revealed it intended to use eminent domain to wrest a 1.3-mile stretch of New Mexico borderland from the Catholic diocese for a border barrier, but church officials in federal court filings Friday argued that doing so would violate their religious freedom.
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol first announced last summer that it intended to build a border wall along the southern skirt of Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces owns. Officials told Source NM at the time that site “was a major human smuggling infiltration site for the cartels.”
Last week, lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Land Acquisition Section escalated their efforts, filing a notice in federal court seeking to seize the roughly 14 acres that comprise the church’s property along the New Mexico-Mexico border. According to the filings, the land would be used to build roads, fences and other structures to “help secure” the border.
In separate filings, the government said it would offer the diocese $180,000 for the property, which government lawyers said was the fair market value of the land.
But on Friday, the diocese, through its lawyers at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, urged a judge to hold off on a deposit and land title transfer, because the diocese believes such a land seizure violates its First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.
The diocese’s lawyers argued that Mount Cristo Rey is a “holy site” and noted that roughly 40,000 people annually climb Mount Cristo Rey, which has a 29-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ at its peak, for a religious pilgrimage.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Mexican cartels currently control the south side and use the area for both smuggling and lookouts for Border Patrol vehicles. The Diocese website actually warns visitors to attend during scheduled events when security (including police on horseback) is present, otherwise they can be assaulted and robbed.
NM list PING!
I may not PING for all New Mexico articles. To see New Mexico articles by topic click here: New Mexico Topics
To see NM articles by keyword, click here: New Mexico Keywords
To see the NM Message Page, click here: New Mexico Messages
(The NM list is available on my FR homepage for FR member use; its use in the News Forum should not be for trivial or inconsequential posts. Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
(For ABQ Journal articles requiring a subscription, you may be allowed a number of free article views.)
Surely the powers in Santa Fe will step in to see the wall continues. 😂😂😂. Hope you’re well CedarDave.
180K for 14 acres of remote and uninhabited desert seems rather generous. It is 12,857 dollars per acre.
I suspect it is either 14K or 13K per acre with the 14 acres being a rounded figure up from 13.x acres.
That is a high price for uninhabited desert land. Federal Fish and Wildlife only offered me $250 an acre just a few years ago! I sold a fair amount at $1000 an acre. I’d love to get 12K per acre.
Due to the proximity of Mexico on the Southern edge of the mountain, visitors are cautioned not climb alone and always go in groups. Vandalism, assaults and robberies are still an ongoing problem and visitors are encouraged to visit on days when organized events are being held and security is on site. Please visit the events page to get dates of upcoming events.
Many go up this mountain on their hands and knees.
They support illegals and are trying their best to leave a route open for their fellow Catholics.
Take the phookin land, and pay fair market value.
That’s how it works.
Exactly.
This diocese needs to lose their tax exempt status.
The gov has a permanent, 100+ year, 60 foot wide, easment along the entire border.
I believe its call the “Roosevelt Easment”. (Teddy)
Not enough for the wall.
Send the Bishop to ‘Gitmo for treason.
Then they need to put a fence around that property on THIS side of the border, and go through a border check to go in or out.
Not enough space needed for irs construction and roads ction and roads true.
Also, the Indian res’ are exempted.
The earlier article says CBP wants an additional 190 feet for access. The total of 240 feet still provides a buffer of about 1,000 feet south of the statue and it is almost 400 feet lower in elevation. The photo in the article shows the south side of the statue and is looking to the northeast with New Mexico on the left and Texas on the right. The Rio Grande separates NM and TX in the photo.
I rather imagine that this is purely a ‘Business Deccision’ by the church leaders, not really a “First Amendment” thing..
I bet that the church makes a lot more than $180,000 from letting the Cartels and Coyotes use their land for access, and that more butts in their pews and pesos in their collection baskets get there via people sneaking through their land.
I hate the idea of the government spending more money than the actual value of what they get, but maybe they should make a much more lucrative offer to the church for the land... Enough to tempt them with short term profits away from their long term profits from the Cartels and what the sneakers-in put in the collection baskets over the years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.