Trump administration starts building border wall project in Arizona over tribe's objections
- The Trump administration has begun construction on a border wall segment in southern Arizona on land adjacent to the Tohono O'odham Nation's reservation as part of a $46 billion border security effort.
- The Tohono O'odham Nation, with 37,000 members including thousands living in Mexico, opposes the project, claiming it damages sacred tribal land and constitutes trespassing despite the wall being built on a federally-owned buffer zone.
- A federal judge ruled in favor of the government earlier this month, determining the wall would be confined to a 60-foot-wide Roosevelt Reservation of federal land, but the tribe argues accessing the site still requires crossing tribal territory.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the area is a major smuggling corridor responsible for drug trafficking and migrant deaths, and the wall is necessary for border security.
- The Tohono O'odham Nation has filed a lawsuit and is exploring further legal actions to stop construction, while the Texas-based contractor SLSCO Ltd. has secured over $390 million in Department of Homeland Security funding since 2023.
The Trump administration has begun construction on a border wall segment in southern Arizona adjacent to the Tohono O'odham Nation's reservation, advancing a signature $46 billion border security initiative. The project aims to build 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers, and surveillance technology to prevent undocumented immigration and smuggling.
The Tohono O'odham Nation, comprising 37,000 members with thousands living on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, opposes the construction. Tribal officials claim the project damages sacred mountain peaks and constitutes illegal trespassing, even though a federal judge ruled the wall would be confined to a 60-foot-wide federally-owned buffer zone called the Roosevelt Reservation. The tribe argues that contractors must cross tribal land to access the construction site.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection defends the project as necessary to close a dangerous smuggling corridor responsible for decades of drug trafficking and migrant deaths. However, the Tohono O'odham Nation has filed a lawsuit and is pursuing additional legal remedies to halt construction. The Texas-based contractor SLSCO Ltd. has secured over $390 million in Department of Homeland Security funding since 2023 for border wall construction.
特朗普政府在亚利桑那州开始修建边境墙项目，遭当地部落反对
特朗普政府已开始在亚利桑那州南部修建边境墙，该项目位于托霍诺·奥德姆民族保留地附近，是其460亿美元边境安全计划的重要组成部分。该项目旨在建造30英尺高的钢制栅栏墙、车辆屏障和监控技术，以阻止非法移民和走私活动。
拥有37000名成员（其中数千人居住在美墨边境两侧）的托霍诺·奥德姆民族反对该施工项目。部落官员声称该项目破坏了神圣的山峰，并构成非法侵入，尽管联邦法官裁定墙体将限制在60英尺宽的联邦所有罗斯福保留地内。部落主张承包商必须穿过部落领土才能进入施工地点。
美国海关和边境保护局为该项目辩护，称其对关闭这一危险走私走廊必要，该走廊数十年来导致毒品贩运和移民死亡。然而，托霍诺·奥德姆民族已提起诉讼并正在寻求额外的法律救济以停止施工。德克萨斯承包商SLSCO公司自2023年以来已获得国土安全部超过3.9亿美元的边境墙建设资金。