Indigenous leaders say that federal contractors are desecrating sacred Native American places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace in the rush to build more walls on the U.S.-Mexico border. Construction accelerated after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security waived cultural and environmental laws. The action allows more barriers along the border even as illegal crossings have plummeted. The Trump administration says the border walls are needed for national security and are meant to keep people, including drug smugglers, from entering the U.S. illegally. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” devoted over $46 billion to the effort.