EL PASO, Texas — Under the calm silhouette of Mount Cristo Rey, where Texas, New Mexico and Mexico meet, the sound of controlled explosions now echoes across the border.
Federal crews are blasting through rock to clear the way for a new stretch of border wall, construction that is visible from both sides of the U.S.–Mexico boundary.
“This infrastructure going in will give Border Patrol agents access directly to the border,” said Rodney Scott, commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The construction is taking place in an area that holds deep cultural and religious meaning for communities on both sides of the border. At the summit of Mount Cristo Rey stand religious monuments that draw thousands of Americans and Mexicans each year, many walking the mountain as an expression of faith.
But Border Patrol officials say the same terrain has also become a frequent crossing point for migrants entering the United States illegally.
“Agents used to be only at the north of it, and the smugglers had the high point,” Scott said. “It takes all that away.”
The project is funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2025, which allocates approximately $47 billion for border wall expansion nationwide. Scott said the goal is to create a cost-effective security zone that allows agents to cover more ground.
“The whole idea is to slow down the flow of somebody coming in so that agents can spread out farther,” Scott said. “As a taxpayer, you get more return on your investment for the hours a Border Patrol agent puts in every single day.”
Spectrum News has previously documented activity in this area, including groups waiting on the Mexican side of the border for an opportunity to cross.
“As you can see, we have a group of subjects that are on the Mexican side of the area,” said Orlando Marrero-Rubio of the Border Patrol El Paso Sector in footage from last year. “From experience, they are just waiting for us to leave the area so they can try coming to the country illegally.”
For residents of Sunland Park, New Mexico, a small city at the base of Mount Cristo Rey, encounters with migrants descending the mountain and hiding in neighborhoods were once common.
“Border Patrol used to come into the parking lot more often, but I had to kind of close up my fence lines,” said resident Robert Ardovino in 2021.
Lore Nuñez, another Sunland Park resident, said migration activity used to be constant.
“Every day, at every moment, there was a lot of migration, many people coming down from the mountain, many hiding,” Nuñez said.
But many residents say that has changed. According to the Department of Homeland Security, illegal crossings in this area over the past year have dropped to almost zero. Still, the new construction leaves the community with mixed emotions.
“At the same time it’s good, and at the same time I think it’s not good,” Nuñez said. “They are going to destroy the mountain. But now I have seen a lot of surveillance and fewer people crossing.”
As blasting continues beneath a mountain sacred to many, residents are left weighing security against preservation and questioning whether the noise now echoing through the desert is the answer.