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.
The Nation urged tribal members to remain vigilant, avoid escalation and prioritize their personal safety.
(Images courtesy of the Tohono O’odham Nation.)
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