'There are secret areas': The land Trump wants to fence off
News Source
β’Sun, 1 Nov 2026 18:34:05 +0000
π° What Happened
The Tohono O'odham Nation is fighting a plan to build a 9-metre steel border wall along part of its land. The reservation covers 1.1 million hectares of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona.
Chair Verlon Jose says the wall would cut through ancestral land, threaten sacred sites and split families whose relatives live on both sides of the border.
The nation says some areas are secret and must not be disturbed. Its leaders argue the wall would do nothing to make the desert safer.
π The Backstory
The Tohono O'odham have lived in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. In 1853 a deal between the US and Mexico drew a border straight through their homeland.
Members still cross to visit family and take part in ceremonies. For years the US allowed many to pass with simple documents.
Earlier border barriers were built in the 1990s and 2000s. Governments used legal waivers to skip environmental and cultural reviews, which nations like this one still oppose.
π― Why It Matters
A wall here would divide a community that has shared one desert for centuries. It also shows how border policy can override the rights of Native nations.
The Tohono O'odham Nation is fighting a plan to build a 9-metre steel border wall along part of its land. The reservation covers 1.1 million hectares of the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona.
Chair Verlon Jose says the wall would cut through ancestral land, threaten sacred sites and split families whose relatives live on both sides of the border.
The nation says some areas are secret and must not be disturbed. Its leaders argue the wall would do nothing to make the desert safer.
The Tohono O'odham have lived in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. In 1853 a deal between the US and Mexico drew a border straight through their homeland.
Members still cross to visit family and take part in ceremonies. For years the US allowed many to pass with simple documents.
Earlier border barriers were built in the 1990s and 2000s. Governments used legal waivers to skip environmental and cultural reviews, which nations like this one still oppose.
A wall here would divide a community that has shared one desert for centuries. It also shows how border policy can override the rights of Native nations.