Far From DC, an Iconic trail Is Militarized for Trump’s Border Wall
The Gila National Forest in New Mexico is undergoing significant changes due to the construction of a border wall initiated by the Trump administration. This project has transformed the area surrounding the Continental Divide Trail, impacting both the landscape and access for hikers. The land has been designated as a National Defense Area, restricting entry and requiring permits for those wishing to hike the trail.
- ▪The Continental Divide Trail, a 3,100-mile long-distance trail, is affected by the construction of the border wall.
- ▪The Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection allocated nearly $4.5 billion for wall-building efforts in the region.
- ▪Hikers now require authorization to enter the National Defense Area, with potential federal trespassing charges for those without permission.
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); The Gila National Forest in New Mexico, through which the Continental Divide Trail passes before reaching its terminus at the border.US Forest Service Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. This story was originally published by High Country News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Video courtesy of the CDT Coalition. Before the Trump administration decided the country urgently needed to erect a hulking steel wall in southern New Mexico’s bootheel, only a three-strand barbed wire fence separated the United States from Mexico in this arid stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert.
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