Target: Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
Goal: Do not seize sacred Catholic pilgrimage site for border wall construction.
The controversial issue of eminent domain – in which the government seizes private land against the wishes of land-owners – is back in the spotlight and intertwining with another hot-button topic: the president’s high-profile war of words with Pope Leo. The Department of Homeland Security intends to take 14,000-plus acres of New Mexico land that happens to include a sacred Catholic pilgrimage site. The Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces owns the tract of land and has vowed to challenge the seizure in court.
The administration claims it wants the lands for border wall infrastructure, and it has already disregarded environmental protections to seize other lands in the region. But the diocese contends that a government takeover of this land would disrupt the pilgrimages of over 40,000 Catholics who visit the site every year to see the towering Christ and cross statue that rests atop the mountain. This sacred place of unity would instead become, in the words of the diocese, “a symbol of division.” The move is particularly notable coming from an administration that often claims to values freedom of religion and worship.
Sign the petition below to demand the department think twice about an unnecessary land grab that could violate law and one of the key tenets of the Bill of Rights.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Secretary Mullin,
Freedom of religion is baked in the U.S. Constitution, and it makes no distinction between religions or religious groups that may have run afoul of the president. The timing of the eminent domain claim against the Dioceses of Las Cruces is suspect, unintended religious interference at best and targeted harassment at worst. Giving you the benefit of the former, you must realize that this motion potentially violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. You must be aware that trampling on a sacred pilgrimage site for a taxpayer-funded project it was long-claimed would be paid for by another country is not a good look, particularly coming from an administration that proudly waves “religious freedom” like a game-time flag.
Please think twice about picking a fight you can’t win spiritually, morally, or legally.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: MJCdetroit
