Construction tied to Donald Trump's accelerated border wall expansion has destroyed part of a 1,000-year-old Native American geoglyph in Arizona, drawing sharp criticism from tribal leaders, archaeologists, and lawmakers who say federal waivers allowed culturally significant land to be cleared without standard protections.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed that on April 23, 2026, a contractor "inadvertently disturbed" the Las Playas Intaglio, a rare desert formation located west of Ajo along the U.S.-Mexico border. The agency said the remaining portion of the site has been secured while Commissioner Rodney Scott evaluates next steps with tribal representatives.
The damaged geoglyph, first formally documented in 2002 by archaeologists Richard and Sandra Martynec, stretches more than 200 feet and is shaped like a fish. It is considered one of the few known intaglios in southwestern Arizona and is believed to hold ceremonial importance for the ancestors of the Tohono O'odham and Hia-ced O'odham peoples.
The destruction has reignited longstanding tensions over the federal government's use of waivers under the REAL ID Act, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to bypass environmental and cultural preservation regulations for border infrastructure projects. Critics say those powers have been applied aggressively as part of a broader wall expansion effort.
In testimony before Congress in 2020, Ned Norris Jr. warned of such outcomes, saying, "No one reveres our military veterans more than the O'odham, however, dynamiting these sacred sites and burial grounds is the same as bulldozing Arlington National Cemetery or any other cemetery. Our history as a people is being obliterated and our ancestors' remains are being desecrated." He added, "Congress must act to restrict or remove DHS's dangerously broad authority to waive cultural preservation laws, and compel them to consult with tribes on these issues."
Satellite imagery indicates that approximately 60 to 70 feet of the formation-roughly one-third-was destroyed by heavy machinery. Archaeologist Richard Martynec noted that construction markers had previously been placed through the site, suggesting it was known to planners before the damage occurred.
For tribal members, the impact extends beyond archaeology. Lorraine Marquez Eiler, an elder of the Hia-ced O'odham, said, "If someone came to Washington and started destroying all the different sites that people in the United States revere, it's the same thing for us." She added, "Those things were made by our ancestors, and it's hitting home. ... For me, it's an emotional subject."
Experts have also condemned the incident in stark terms. Aaron Wright of Archaeology Southwest described the destruction as "beyond mere vandalism," stating, "We stand with our Tribal partners in denouncing this egregious abuse of executive power to circumvent our country's hard-fought environmental laws for political gain. This is beyond mere vandalism. It was a deliberate act of harm, disgrace, and disrespect carried out in our names, on our public land, and with our tax monies." He added that "an awesome spiritual expression in the Sonoran Desert that peered into the sky for the last millennium, if not longer, is gone."
The broader border wall initiative, funded through a $46.5 billion federal package, has accelerated construction across Arizona, Texas, California, and New Mexico, advancing at an estimated pace of roughly three miles per week. The Las Playas site lies within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, where a second barrier is being built parallel to an existing wall.
Lawmakers have joined the criticism. Representative Adelita S. Grijalva said, "Bulldozing a 1,000-year-old sacred site is not an accident - it's the predictable result of rushing forward with a (second) wasteful border wall." She added that the destruction represents "a blatant act of disrespect and an unacceptable violation of tribal sovereignty, traditions, and the ancestry of the O'odham people."
She further warned that "this is not the first time a sacred site has been desecrated by border wall construction - and it will not be the last until the federal government takes its legal obligation to tribal consultation and following environmental laws seriously."
