CONNOR DUFFEY / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Controlled demolitions, heavy machinery and noise pollution greeted residents of Tecate, a border town 40 miles from San Diego that extends into both the United States and Mexico, on the morning of April 19. Tecate is home to Kuuchamaa Mountain, a site that is considered to be revered and sacred among the Kumeyaay people. 

USD junior Lincoln Neal shared his thoughts on the treatment of ancestral Kumeyaay lands. 

“If I’m going in their shoes, ‘these people already took my land in building USD,’” Neal said. “‘So they are stepping all over my land, and then blowing it up?’ It makes me feel horrible.” 

On April 19, the Trump administration began building a 30-foot wall along the San Diego County border with Mexico, an   area  which   includes both the town  of   Tecate and the Kuchamaa  Mountain. The construction  process includes controlled demolitions on Kuuchamaa Mountain, and the use of heavy machinery. 

USD junior Roman Napoli shared his thoughts on the construction process. 

“The mountain already acts as a natural barrier,” Napoli said. “There is no need to blow it up in the first place, and you shouldn’t be destroying nature itself.”

The construction of the fence is funded as a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Department of Homeland Security waived several environmental laws in order to expedite the completion of the wall, including the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. 

Leadership of both Mexico and the Kumeyaay nations have expressed their disapproval of the project. Emily Burgueno, the chair of the El Cajon-based nonprofit organization known as the Kumeyaay Land Conservancy, shared her thoughts on the border project with Microsoft  Network (MSN). 

“We as a Kumeyaay Nation know  this project  is going  to go  through,  whether  we  agree with it  or not,”  Burgueno stated. “Our focus is the protection and conservation of our sacred  and   holy mountain.” 

Kuuchamaa Mountain was the first mountain to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and is known among the Kumeyaay people for being a site of spiritual healing, as well as a place for tribal leaders to gain knowledge. The mountain is also a sacred place for rites and rituals. 

“It’s like a church to us,” Norma Alicia Meza, a Kumeyaay leader and Tecate local said in an interview with MSN. “That’s where we hold our ceremonies.” 

USD professor and chair of the ethnic studies department Jesse Mills, 
PhD,    spoke   on   the     construction   of     the   border   wall. 

“It’s not and never has been about the fence,” Mills said. “It’s really a form of political grandstanding, and it’s really unfortunate, and shows a complete disregard for sacred sites.”

The area was designated as a “restricted military zone” late last year, with a sign at the foot of the mountain warning visitors to stay away. In December 2025, the Department of the Interior announced the transfer of approximately 740 acres of public land in San Diego and Imperial counties to the Department of the Navy, allowing military personnel to enforce federal law and detain individuals considered to be unlawfully present in the area. Kuuchamaa Mountain is also included in the restricted zone. 

The mountain is included in a binational conservation effort dating back to the 2000s, aiming  to protect  the biological diversity and cultural diversity of the area. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the desecration of the sacred site during a press conference last week, ordering the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretariat of Culture to investigate and review the matter. 

Mills also spoke on the importance of advocacy and awareness surrounding this issue. 

“Every undergraduate, everyone working at this campus, loses out if we’re cut off from how we’re connected to Native land,” Mills said. “We have to make sure native students and faculty are not required to do all the advocating for themselves.” 

The Kuchamaa Mountain, a sacred location known for its healing effects, is being demolished in order to construct an enlarged border wall, with important environmental laws and the sentiments   of  local  and national leaders being bypassed. 

Kuuchamaa mountain is being reshaped by controlled demolitions. Photo courtesy of @afsc.sandiego/Instagram