Indigenous leaders: Border wall desecrates sacred sites
Sovereignty and security converge at the border where policy failures demand accountability.
The story leans hard on symbolism, inviting readers to experience the border as a kind of spiritual violation. That’s moving, but it also assumes the only moral lens is what the wall “means,” not what an uncontrolled border does to communities on both sides. Sacred places deserve respect, and federal agencies should consult tribes and local leaders honestly.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
TECATE, Mexico — With white sage burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests at a Mexican wellness resort into a semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks everyone to close their eyes and feel its presence.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The story leans hard on symbolism, inviting readers to experience the border as a kind of spiritual violation. That’s moving, but it also assumes the only moral lens is what the wall “means,” not what an uncontrolled border does to communities on both sides.
Sacred places deserve respect, and federal agencies should consult tribes and local leaders honestly. Still, treating border infrastructure as desecration by definition leaves no room for national sovereignty or for the real costs of trafficking, cartel violence, and repeat illegal crossings. A serious country can protect heritage while also enforcing rule of law.
The missing piece is public trust. When the government can’t manage who enters and why, every other promise, including environmental review and consultation, starts to look optional. The principle at stake is secure borders with accountable process, not performative conflict between culture and security.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.