Trump border wall expansion damages ancient Native American site in Arizona

The Trump administration's rapid expansion of the US-Mexico border wall has damaged a rare Native American archaeological site in Arizona, the Washington Post reported Friday.

The administration is fast-tracking a $46.5 billion border wall expansion, funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill, building about three miles per week and adding new or additional barriers across Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

The construction is bypassing environmental and legal protections, raising concerns among advocates, park officials and Native American communities, according to the report.

In Arizona, construction crews damaged a 60- to 70-foot section of a more than 1,000-year-old, fish-shaped Native American ground etching, with satellite images confirming the disturbance, according to a local archaeologist.

Satellite images show damage cutting across an ancient intaglio at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

An Interior Department official confirmed it was harmed last week during border barrier construction by a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) contractor.

CBP said the wall aims to secure the border by deterring illegal crossings, while DHS has waived environmental and Indigenous protections to speed construction.

With crossings at historic lows, some conservation groups question the need for expanding barriers, including a second wall in parts of the refuge, the report said.