Hundreds of archaeological sites, including 6,000-year-old cave paintings, are under threat as the Trump administration moves to expand its southern border barrier in the Big Bend region of Texas.
Amanda Castañeda, archaeology director of the Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, told Hyperallergic that at least 425 Texas archaeological sites, including 84 intricate cave murals, could be disrupted by a Trump administration plan to create a $46 billion “smart wall” along the United States-Mexico border. The border wall expansion would include both physical barriers and artificial intelligence-powered surveillance infrastructure.
On Monday, July 27, the federal government exempted the wall from environmental preservation laws, including the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The administration argues that the area is a “high illegal entry” point for undocumented migrants, though the area has been described as “remote, harsh, and seldom trafficked by migrants.”
“ This [border wall] route goes in and out of different canyons, so the potential for damage to these rock art sites and just archaeology in general is very large,” Castañeda said in a phone call.
