The Tohono O’odham Nation has placed tribal police on alert and posted no-trespassing signs across its southern Arizona reservation, warning federal border wall contractors not to enter tribal land without permission.
Tribal leaders said contractors may attempt to access the reservation, FOX 10 Phoenix reported. Their Aug. 7 announcement called unauthorized entry illegal trespassing. FOX 10 said workers could face removal, civil or criminal charges, fines and equipment impoundment. Residents were told not to confront crews but to call tribal police.
The warning escalates a dispute over the Tucson 5 Wall Project, which would add primary and secondary barriers along roughly 62 miles of the reservation’s border with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded SLSCO Ltd. the construction contract June 26.
The Nation sued the Department of Homeland Security in June, arguing the project would unlawfully take tribal land, diminish reservation boundaries and damage sacred sites. Its complaint says only Congress can alter those boundaries. Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Leon heard arguments July 22 and requested supplemental briefs before ruling on a preliminary injunction.
Justice Department attorneys contend Congress funded the project and that a 1907 presidential proclamation created a 60-foot federal strip along the boundary. They argue leaving a gap could funnel illegal crossings onto the reservation.
Tribal leaders counter that the Nation works with federal authorities through surveillance towers, vehicle barriers and Border Patrol operating bases. The complaint says the Nation spends about $3 million annually on border security and that apprehensions on its land fell roughly 90% over 18 months.
The warning follows Customs and Border Protection’s acknowledgment that a contractor damaged the 1,000-year-old Las Playas Intaglio near Ajo in April. The agency called the disturbance inadvertent. Leon had not ruled as of publication.
