A citizen collective in Tecate is gathering signatures to bolster an ongoing legal challenge against U.S. government blasting of Cerro Cuchumá, a sacred hill on the border that has been dynamited since March 2026 to extend the border wall. The signature drive, organized by the group Proteger al Cuchumá, aims to demonstrate public support for an amparo (injunction) lawsuit that seeks to force Mexican authorities to intervene diplomatically and legally against the explosions.
Cerro Cuchumá Blasting Began in March 2026
Cerro Cuchumá rises directly on the international boundary east of the Tecate port of entry. The hill straddles both countries, and its southern slopes face the Mexican city of roughly 110,000 people. U.S. construction crews began drilling and detonating explosives on the American side of the summit in March 2026 to clear rock for new border wall segments.
Since then, residents have reported shaking in their homes, clouds of dust drifting south over Mexican neighborhoods, persistent noise, and the displacement of wildlife from the hillside. Activists say the blasting has also destroyed archaeological sites on the ridgeline. The collective warns that removing rock from the mountain increases risks of flooding, landslides, and wildfires for Tecate’s residential areas at the base of the hill.
Cerro Cuchumá is not just a geographic feature. It is the defining landmark of Tecate’s skyline and a sacred site for the Kumiai, the indigenous people of northern Baja California. The Kumiai have inhabited the region for thousands of years, and Cuchumá holds deep spiritual significance in their oral traditions. The same Kumiai communities have gained growing recognition for their ancestral food traditions, including pine-nut harvesting, wild sage cultivation, and the preparation of traditional dishes now featured in Baja’s gastronomy tourism circuits.
The hill also holds ecological value as a corridor between desert scrub and chaparral habitats. Biologists have documented native species including mule deer, bobcats, and several raptor species on its slopes. Activists argue that the geological and biological damage is irreversible once the rock is removed.
Amparo Lawsuit Argues Mexico Has Binational Obligations
The legal case at the center of the signature drive is an amparo, a constitutional injunction unique to Mexican law that allows citizens to challenge government action or, in this case, government inaction. The plaintiffs argue that Mexican federal authorities have treaty obligations to protect shared border environments, even when the physical damage occurs on U.S. soil.
Pável Valenzuela Aramburo, one of the organizers, rejected the claim that Mexican authorities lack jurisdiction. “It is false that Mexican authorities have no obligations here,” he said. “Because this is happening in a border zone, the Mexican state has obligations, powers to act, and binational agreements to enforce.”
The case is before the First Collegiate Tribunal of the Fifteenth Circuit, a federal appeals court in Mexicali. The presiding judge on the complaint is Magistrate Alba Ivette Ceseña Velázquez. Organizers drafted a letter addressed to Ceseña Velázquez asking that the collected signatures be added to the official court file as evidence of public interest.
The legal argument rests partly on binational environmental agreements between Mexico and the United States. The 1983 La Paz Agreement commits both countries to preventing environmental harm in a 100-kilometer strip along the border. Mexico is also a party to the International Boundary and Water Commission framework, which governs shared resources in the border region. Whether these instruments give a Mexican court grounds to compel federal agencies to act against a U.S. construction project remains the central legal question.
The letter accompanying the signatures states that residents are not trying to influence the ruling itself. But the document describes the case as involving “the identity, security, and future of thousands of people who live at the foot of Cerro Cuchumá.”
Signatures Collected at Two Tecate Locations Through July
The collective is accepting signatures through the end of July at two locations in Tecate: Cosmos Brewing on Avenida Revolución and Eureka Galería on Bulevar Defensores de Baja California. Both are in the city center, within walking distance of the border crossing that many cross-border commuters and visitors use daily.
The group is also distributing blank copies of the letter and signature forms so that supporters can collect additional names at other locations. Valenzuela Aramburo said the goal is to gather as many signatures as possible before the court reaches a decision.
For anyone who lives in or visits Tecate regularly, the physical effects of the blasting are hard to miss. Residents in colonias closest to the hill describe vibrations strong enough to rattle windows. Dust plumes from detonations are visible from downtown Tecate on calm days. The hill’s altered profile is now apparent from the main highway approach to the city.
The court in Mexicali has not announced a timeline for its ruling on the amparo complaint. The signature collection closes at the end of July 2026. This story was first reported by Punto Norte.