The Trump administration has initiated construction on a section of border wall in southern Arizona that crosses through territory claimed by the Tohono O’odham Nation, marking the continuation of a broader initiative. U.S. Customs and Border Protection characterizes the region as a critical smuggling corridor and describes the wall as necessary to close security vulnerabilities along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the agency, the wall project is part of a $46 billion undertaking designed to install 30-foot steel barriers, vehicle obstacles, and surveillance technology to address undocumented immigration and trafficking.
The Tohono O’odham Nation, which has roughly 37,000 members including thousands residing in Mexico, has vigorously opposed the project. Tribal officials assert that the construction amounts to unlawful trespassing and will damage sacred Indigenous sites, including mountain peaks central to the tribe’s cultural and spiritual practices. The tribe filed a federal lawsuit in June seeking to block the wall’s construction, arguing it would cause substantial harm to the reservation.
Construction crews, working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, accessed the tribal land on Tuesday morning to begin work, according to tribal statements. The tribe contends that contractors violated tribal law and trespassed despite posted warning signs. A federal judge ruled earlier in the month that the government could proceed, noting that construction would remain within a 60-foot federally owned buffer zone known as the Roosevelt Reservation. However, tribal leaders maintain that accessing this zone necessarily requires crossing tribal land.
The broader wall project has encountered resistance from multiple quarters, including property owners, environmental organizations, and other Native American tribes, all raising concerns about property rights and sacred site protection. The construction company overseeing the Arizona segment, SLSCO Ltd., has received more than $390 million in Department of Homeland Security funding since 2023 for border wall work. Tribal officials indicated they are pursuing additional legal remedies to halt the construction.
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