Overview
- Customs and Border Protection said a contractor building a secondary border wall inadvertently disturbed the Las Playas Intaglio on April 23, and the agency says the remaining portion is secured in place.
- Leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation called the loss devastating and said monitors had already flagged the site for avoidance by the builder.
- Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva, conservationists, and archaeologists urged DHS to halt work and face accountability for the damage.
- Project plans show about 42 miles of a 30‑foot secondary barrier set 150 to 200 feet inland in Arizona, including stretches on the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
- CBP removed its public construction map on April 23, narrowing visibility into where crews will work as archaeologists warn that intaglios are rare and that this loss erases cultural knowledge tied to ceremonies and identity.