SELLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tohono O’odham Nation says approximately 20 masked and armed Customs and Border Protection agents escorted Department of Homeland Security contractors onto tribal land Tuesday, where the contractors began conducting pre-construction activities at three locations near the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to a press release from the Nation, the contractors were using drill trucks to conduct soil sampling and other activities.
Video: Watch video below from the Tohono O’odham Nation:
The Nation said CBP agents were accompanied by Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement personnel and a CBP BORTAC SWAT team. Mexican police were also reportedly deployed on the southern side of the border in coordination with U.S. authorities, where border wall contractors were working.
Tohono O’odham Police Department officers were sent to the three locations to document the activity and help keep the peace as tribal officials work to resolve the situation.
Tribal leadership had previously warned unauthorized individuals attempting to enter Nation land that they would be trespassing. However, the Nation said officers have not been able to issue citations to contractors without risking further escalation.
“The actions are putting in jeopardy our decades of successful partnership in protecting the border,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon M. Jose said in the release.
Jose also called the deployment of BIA law enforcement and the BORTAC team on tribal land “deeply disturbing,” criticizing the federal government’s continued investment in border walls.
The chairman said he believes additional border wall construction would damage the environment, harm sacred sites and divide families.
Both Rep. Adelita Grijalva and Sen. Ruben Gallego condemned the federal government’s actions on Tohono O’odham Nation land, calling for an immediate halt to unauthorized border wall-related activity and accusing the Trump administration of disregarding tribal sovereignty.
Grijalva said there was “no justification” for armed federal agents and contractors to enter tribal land and proceed with construction activity without the Nation’s consent. She said the federal government must respect the Tohono O’odham Nation’s laws, sovereignty, sacred sites and ancestral lands, and pledged to work with tribal leaders to pursue legal and legislative options to prevent further unauthorized activity.
Gallego also criticized the administration, saying the federal government’s consultation with the Tohono O’odham Nation had been a “sham.” He said DHS had previously been warned to meaningfully consult with tribes before building border infrastructure on their land, but instead escalated the situation by sending dozens of armed agents onto the Nation’s land without advance notice. Gallego said the federal government can pursue border security while still respecting tribal sovereignty, arguing that the current actions fail to do both.
The Nation urged tribal members to remain vigilant, avoid escalation and prioritize their personal safety.
(Images courtesy of the Tohono O’odham Nation.)
