Contractors building border wall ordered to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico
The agency said the pause follows complaints that eight wells were drilled without state permits and could pump 200 gallons a minute.
- On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ordered border wall contractors in New Mexico to halt drilling new wells following concerns over water depletion during a severe drought.
- The New Mexico Office of the State Engineer identified eight wells drilled without required permits, which ranchers feared would deplete groundwater needed for livestock during the drought.
- Rancher Russell Johnson reported industrial wells on his property were pumping 300 gallons per minute, forcing him to reduce his herd size due to escalating water scarcity.
- Congressional candidate Greg Cunningham and Congressman Gabe Vasquez both claimed credit for the moratorium, while CBP pledged to collaborate with state agencies on a long-term groundwater strategy.
- Questions remain regarding federal authority to pump groundwater on the federally owned Roosevelt Reservation without state oversight, leaving long-term water rights impacts unresolved.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Border wall crews ordered to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico
The Trump administration ordered construction crews to stop drilling industrial wells in New Mexico, currently in the throes of a drought, after local farmers complained it could put them out of business. The construction of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has been one of President Donald Trump’s main priorities since he launched his first presidential campaign, and in his second administration, he secured $46 billion in federal fundi…
Associated Press News
Contractors building border wall ordered to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico
Customs and Border Protection has ordered construction crews building Trump’s second border wall to stop drilling wells in drought-stricken New Mexico after ranchers said pumping the groundwater needed to mix cement could threaten their livestock.
New Mexico plugs record number of abandoned oil and gas wells, thanks to Biden-era funding
A pumpjack between Hobbs and Lovington in the Permian Basin as seen on Aug. 7, 2025. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM)New Mexico environmental officials plugged a record number of abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells last year, thanks in large part to funding from Biden-era grants, they told a panel of state lawmakers Monday. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE Nonetheless, across the state, approximately 1,600 wells remain that are designated …
President Donald Trump's government has ordered the gangs working on the construction of the border wall to stop drilling wells in New Mexico, after ranchers warned that the extraction of the underground water they need for concrete development could put their livestock at risk.
President Donald Trump’s government has ordered the gangs working on the construction of the border wall to stop drilling wells in New Mexico, after ranchers warned that the extraction of the underground water they need for concrete processing could put their livestock at risk. The order comes at a time when the gangs along the border are working in a hurry to complete one of Trump’s top priorities: a $46 billion border wall spanning four states…
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