Tribe says project threatens sacred land, accuses government of trespassing
Contractors working for U.S. Customs and Border Protection have begun building a stretch of border wall in southern Arizona along part of the Tohono O’odham Nation’s reservation, the Associated Press reported.
The project advances one of the Trump administration’s signature initiatives, pushing ahead despite protests from the tribe.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the area is a dangerous smuggling route and that the wall will close a longstanding security gap.
Members of the Tohono O’odham Nation have accused the administration of trespassing on reservation land. Tribal members also said the construction will damage sites the tribe considers sacred.
The Tohono O’odham Nation’s membership spans both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the AP.
The wall segment is part of a $46 billion effort by the Trump administration to fill the border with 30-foot (9-meter) steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and technology designed to stop undocumented immigration and smuggling.
Construction was reported to have begun despite the tribe’s protests, according to the AP.