Construction begins on 100 km Arizona border wall over tribal opposition

Construction has begun on a 100-kilometer section of border wall in Arizona, part of the Trump administration's 'Tucson 5' project, despite strong opposition from the Tohono O'odham Nation, which says the wall violates its sovereignty and threatens sacred sites. Source: clarin Source: infobae

The project and the opposition

The new barrier, a double-layer steel and concrete wall about 9.1 meters high, is being built on land the tribe considers part of its ancestral territory. The Tohono O'odham Nation filed a lawsuit arguing the construction violates its sovereignty, but a federal judge in Washington ruled in August that the tribe failed to prove the government was violating its sovereignty. The ruling relied on a 1907 executive order by President Theodore Roosevelt that established an 18.3-meter-wide strip along the border as federal land for combating drug trafficking. Source: clarin Source: infobae

Tribal concerns and government rationale

Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon José stated that arrests in the sector have dropped 95% in the last two years, questioning the need for the wall. The tribe also warns the wall will disrupt religious ceremonies, pilgrimages, and family visits, and could destroy ceremonial sites and ancestral cemeteries. Source: clarin Source: infobae

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said the project will 'close' one of the most used corridors for drug and human trafficking. However, José noted the tribe has long cooperated with federal border security, allowing Border Patrol agents on its land. Source: clarin Source: infobae

Political reaction

Democratic Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva called the construction 'a violation of the rights of the Tohono O'odham Nation, its culture, and its ancestral sites,' and joined other Democrats in calling for a halt to the project. Source: clarin Source: infobae