Politics
Trump administration begins border wall construction along Tohono O'odham reservation in Arizona
Federal contractors have entered the area despite protests and pending legal challenges from tribal authorities over land rights.
The short version
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection and contractors began soil sampling and preliminary work for a border wall segment along the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation in Arizona.
- Tribal leaders accuse federal agents and contractors of trespassing on tribal land and damaging sacred sites to reach the federal construction strip.
- Federal officials state the wall is necessary to close a dangerous drug and migrant smuggling corridor along the Southwest border.
- The tribe is exploring further legal remedies to halt construction and remove contractors following a federal court ruling allowing work on adjacent land.
Key facts
- Federal contractors and Customs and Border Protection agents initiated preliminary construction work near the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation using heavy equipment and drills.[Associated Press]
- U.S. District Judge Richard Leon previously ruled that the federal government could construct the wall within the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide federally owned buffer zone.[Associated Press]
- The Tohono O'odham Nation filed a lawsuit against the federal government in June, arguing the construction violates tribal boundaries and destroys sacred sites.[Associated Press]
- CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott stated the project aims to close a remote desert corridor used for drug loads, migrant deaths, and cartel activity.[Associated Press]
- Contractor SLSCO Ltd. has received over $390 million in Department of Homeland Security funding for border wall construction since 2023.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Whether contractors are illegally crossing tribal property to reach the federal easement remains disputed between tribal leadership and federal officials.[Associated Press]
- It is uncertain what additional legal measures the Tohono O'odham Nation will pursue to attempt to remove contractors from the area.[Associated Press]