Federal turnover and policy shifts have forced Indigenous communities to adapt.
Borderlands
Posted inArticles
Border wall blasting hits a treasured New Mexico mountain
A planned 1.3-mile wall across Mount Cristo Rey has drawn opposition from environmentalists and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
A DNA archive critical to identifying missing migrants has itself gone missing
The database is no longer accessible after the organization that started it shut down.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.
Posted inArticles
Sen. Mike Lee’s new bill permits ‘tactical infrastructure’ in wilderness areas
The Border Lands Conservation Act gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive myriad federal laws, including the Wilderness Act, under the pretense of border security.
Posted inArticles
Resistance to data centers rises on the border
In Doña Ana County, New Mexico, residents have long struggled to access clean water. Now, developers plan to spend $165 billion on a massive data center complex.
Posted inAugust 2025: Fire Culture
Booting out bullfrogs, bees make a break for it, and say goodbye to the billboard!
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
See what trail cams captured about Borderlands wildlife
Alongside stunning footage, scientists found that the border wall deters wildlife.
Posted inJune 2025: The Promised Land
The promised land remains elusive for asylum seekers
Some people stuck at the U.S.-Mexico border are forced to risk their lives attempting to cross the desert.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s border wall expansion endangers wildlife and habitat
Migration pathways for animals will be further fragmented by the new additions to the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Posted inArticles
The poetic contradictions of the Borderlands
Roberto Tejada’s new book, ‘Carbonate of Copper,’ explores surveillance and solidarity along the Rio Grande.
Posted inArticles
At the 2025 U.N. Forum on Indigenous Issues Trump’s border policies will play a major role
At this year’s largest gathering of global Indigenous leaders, activists and policymakers, Borderlands issues are expected to have a big impact.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
The subversive power of Spanish-language radio
For decades, immigrant communities have used the airwaves to educate and protect themselves. Under Trump, they’re doing it again.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
El poder subversivo de la radio en español
Durante décadas, las comunidades inmigrantes han usado las ondas para educarse y protegerse. Bajo la administración de Trump, lo están haciendo de nuevo.
Posted inArticles
How U.S. guns fuel violence south of the border
As Trump pressures Mexico to address drugs and migration, an expert says border security goes both ways.
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories
‘This is about power’: Indigenous immigrants face a second Trump administration
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was banned from nine tribal reservations, will oversee policies uniquely important to Indigenous people.
Posted inIssues
‘Esto se trata de poder’: Los inmigrantes indígenas se enfrentan a una segunda administración de Trump
La gobernadora de Dakota del Sur, Kristi Noem, a quien se le prohibió la entrada a nueve reservas tribales, supervisará las políticas de importancia única para los pueblos indígenas.
Posted inSeptember 2024: When Migrants Go Missing
The fatal flaw in the Border Patrol’s rescue program
The Missing Migrant Program is meant to prevent deaths. Instead, it may be causing them.
Posted inSeptember 2024: When Migrants Go Missing
La falla fatal en las operaciones de rescate de la Patrulla Fronteriza
La agencia tiene la tarea de salvar a migrantes en peligro pero puede estar empeorando las cosas.
Posted inJuly 2024
Pollution knows no borders
A long-awaited agreement will address Canadian mine waste flowing downriver into Montana
and Idaho.