Key facts
- The Trump administration has commenced construction of a border wall segment in southern Arizona.
- The project is located along a portion of the Tohono O’odham Nation's reservation.
- The tribe has raised objections, citing trespassing and potential damage to sacred sites.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection asserts the area is a critical smuggling route requiring security enhancements.
- A federal judge previously ruled in favor of the government, allowing construction to proceed on federally owned land.
The Trump administration has initiated construction of a border wall segment in southern Arizona, a project that has drawn strong objections from the Tohono O’odham Nation. The tribe argues that the construction is occurring on their land, constitutes trespassing, and will desecrate sacred sites. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, however, maintains that the area is a dangerous smuggling corridor and that the wall is necessary to close a security gap.
The wall is part of a larger $46 billion initiative by the administration to build extensive border barriers. Despite opposition from various groups, including landowners and environmental organizations, construction has been accelerating. The Tohono O’odham Nation stated that contractors, accompanied by Customs and Border Protection officers, began work on tribal land, using drill trucks for soil sampling and other activities. Drone footage reportedly shows numerous vehicles at the construction sites.
Earlier this month, a federal judge, Richard Leon, allowed the government to proceed with construction. The ruling noted that the wall would be built within the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot wide buffer zone of federally owned land. However, the tribe contends that accessing this area by driving onto tribal land is a violation of tribal codes and constitutes trespassing. They reported that CBP agents, masked and armed, created a vehicle blockade to prevent tribal police from intervening.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott defended the project, emphasizing its role in addressing one of the most dangerous smuggling and trafficking corridors on the Southwest border. The Tohono O’odham Nation officials have indicated they are pursuing further legal avenues to halt the construction and remove contractors. The construction company, SLSCO Ltd., has received over $390 million in funding from the Department of Homeland Security for border wall projects since 2023.