Trump Border Wall Exemption Threatens 6,000-Year-Old Cave Paintings

The Trump administration's effort to expand the southern border wall has been exempted from various environmental and preservation laws, endangering over 425 archaeological sites in Texas's Big Bend region, which features cave paintings that are around 6,000 years old. On July 27, the initiative, known as the $46 billion "smart wall," which combines physical barriers with AI technology, was released from the guidelines of the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act as well as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Amanda Castañeda, who directs archaeology at the Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, told Hyperallergic that at least 84 intricate cave murals could be impacted. The administration claims this area sees a lot of illegal crossings, despite being viewed as remote and not often used by migrants.