barrenar

To drill or bore a hole with a barrena (auger/drill bit) — used literally in carpentry, mining, and construction — and figuratively, to undermine or violate something, especially a law or right: el régimen barrenó los derechos humanos de sus ciudadanos. That figurative political/legal use is common in news writing.

• Barrenaron la roca para colocar los explosivos. — They drilled into the rock to place the explosives.
• El carpintero barrenó la madera antes de atornillarla. — The carpenter drilled the wood before screwing it in.
• La medida barrena derechos que ya estaban garantizados. — The measure undermines rights that were already guaranteed.

In news and political commentary, barrenar almost always means "to undermine/violate" (a law, a right, an agreement) rather than the literal drilling sense — a learner who only knows the literal meaning will misread headlines.