U.S.–Mexico border fence in Arizona.

Donna Burton / U.S. Customs and Border Protection (public domain) · source

Composite story

CBP starts Arizona border-wall work on Tohono O'odham land

About 20 masked, armed Tucson Sector agents escorted contractors onto the Nation around 4 a.m. for Tucson 5 pre-construction; the tribe calls it trespass after a D.C. judge cited a 1907 60-foot strip.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Tucson Sector agents escorted contractors onto Tohono O'odham Nation land around 4 a.m. Aug. 25 for soil sampling and other pre-construction on the 62-mile Tucson 5 wall. The Nation says the entry is trespass and that a vehicle blockade kept tribal police from citing the crews. CBP says the project closes a smuggling gap on a 60-foot Roosevelt Reservation; a D.C. judge had denied a preliminary injunction on Aug. 14.

Shared facts

About 20 armed, masked federal agents entered the Nation early Tuesday morning to prepare for wall construction, tribal leadership said.

Jose and Johnson said they had warned unauthorized people that entering would violate trespass law.

Al Jazeera said Tuesday morning's construction appears to follow that ruling.

The tribe said the federal government set up a vehicle blockade that blocked tribal police from citing or removing the contractors.

Chairman Verlon Jose says his office is assessing options after armed federal agents entered tribal land with wall contractors this week.

The tribe said DHS deployed a Border Patrol Tactical Unit.

The work was pre-construction with drill trucks.

Contractors used drill trucks for pre-construction at three locations.

The tribe said federal agents entered at about 4 a.m. Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Jose's remarks.

Jose said tribal leadership was prepared to cite unauthorized people who entered the Nation.

The Nation says the move violates tribal law.

Scott said the project will close one of the most dangerous smuggling corridors on the Southwest border.

Scott said the project closes a longstanding border-security gap.

The work included soil sampling with drill trucks.

A federal judge earlier this month denied a preliminary injunction that would have paused wall construction.

Quitobaquito is an ancient spring inside Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

The Nation vehemently opposes the project.

The second wall threatens a place ancestors used for trade and rest that remains culturally important.

The Nation had posted No Trespassing signs.

The administration is pushing a 62-mile wall through tribal land.

It has tribal members on both sides.

The Nation is in an ongoing federal lawsuit over Tucson 5.

Nation leadership said Mexican law enforcement is coordinating with DHS to protect the south side during the work.

The tribe said several Bureau of Indian Affairs officers were deployed.

On Monday Jose told reporters the tribe had already turned back about seven federal contractors in recent weeks.

The tribe said a tethered surveillance balloon was deployed.

In a Tuesday statement, CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott addressed the Tucson 5 Project.

The day before, tribal leaders and Rep. Adelita Grijalva gathered in Ajo and at Quitobaquito to call for a stop to the wall on tribal land.

They said interactions between tribal police and federal officers have been peaceful and professional.

The Nation urged members on both sides of the border to remain vigilant and prioritize safety.

Leon said the Roosevelt Reservation, where the administration said it would build, is under U.S. government control.

Judge Leon ruled the preliminary injunction was unwarranted.

The Nation is a federally recognized tribe of about 37,000 members.

Jose cited grading of the Las Playas intaglio, dynamiting burial sites at Monument Hill, and ongoing damage to Quitobaquito Springs.

The denial was dated Aug. 14.

They said tribal police were on the scene that morning monitoring the situation.

SLSCO LTD is the Texas company holding the Arizona contract.

Scott said that under President Trump the agency is securing the border and giving agents tools to protect the American people.

Disputed facts

The tribe argued the project would unilaterally alter its boundaries.

Jose said Border Patrol and DHS say the Roosevelt boundary exists, and that is one issue in court.

Shared opinions

Jose said federal officials would not stand for the same treatment in Washington.

Jose said Monday the Trump administration should stop the wall because it is not necessary.

Associated Press

Contractors begin building border wall in Arizona over a tribe's opposition

The Associated Press

28 Aug 2026

Facts

The segment is part of a $46 billion Trump administration border-wall effort.

That effort is to fill the border with 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers, and technology.

The tribe says the contractors are violating tribal codes and trespassing to reach the wall site.

A federal judge permitted the government to move forward with construction earlier this month, but the tribe says the contractors are violating tribal codes and trespassing to access the border wall site.

The Tohono O'odham Nation said that even if construction were contained to the Roosevelt Reservation, driving onto tribal land to access the area still constitutes trespassing.

attribution · Tohono O'odham Nation

The administration has run into opposition from landowners, environmental groups, and Native American tribes.

But as building efforts have ramped up, the administration has run into opposition from landowners, environmental groups, and Native American tribes who say construction is violating property rights and desecrating sacred Indigenous sites.

fact

Drone videos from Nation officials show about 14 vehicles and an industrial drill at one site.

The tribe argued the wall would cause significant devastation, including destruction of sacred mountain peaks.

Leon wrote that defendants had not yet laid out plans to build outside the Roosevelt Reservation.

Leon is an appointee of former President George W. Bush.

No physical confrontations between police or Nation members have been reported.

SLSCO has received more than $390 million from DHS for border-wall work since 2023.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

Al Jazeera

Tribe accuses US federal agents of 'trespassing' on indigenous border land

Umar Farooq

26 Aug 2026

Facts

In June the Tohono O'odham legislature voted unanimously to sue over using tribal land for the barrier.

The conflict dates to Trump's first term, when he proposed a border-spanning barrier.

Its territory straddles Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Members often cross with tribal identification rather than passports.

The Nation said it was not asked for consent before construction.

The Nation said it had cooperated with federal authorities against irregular crossings and drug smuggling, spending millions.

The Nation claims cross-border detentions have dropped more than 95 percent as a result.

Under U.S. law, federally recognized tribes are considered domestic dependent nations.

Under US law, federally recognised tribes are considered "domestic dependent nations".

They exercise sovereignty over their own land and are not subject to state-level laws.

The degree to which federal authorities can impose their will on tribal nations has long been the subject of heated legal battles.

fact

The administration cites a 1907 proclamation setting about 60 feet along the border as federal land.

A 2023 GAO report found wall work had harmed Indigenous land, including blasting at a burial site and altering water flows.

In 2023, however, a report from the Government Accountability Office, a US federal watchdog agency, found that the border wall effort had caused harm to Indigenous land, including by "blasting at a tribal burial site and altering water flows".

fact

Opinion

No opinion marked.

KTAR News

Southern Arizona communities resist border wall expansion at sacred water source

Balin Overstolz McNair

27 Aug 2026

Facts

Plans for a second wall about 100 feet north of the existing one could destroy the site.

The Center for Biological Diversity is in court to stop construction at Quitobaquito Springs.

There's also a nearby legal battle by the Center for Biological Diversity to stop ongoing construction at Quitobaquito Springs, which sits on federal land in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument but remains a sacred site for the Tohono O'odham Nation.

The spring snail is central to the Center for Biological Diversity's legal fight to stop the construction.

Its case aims to finalize the snail's classification as an endangered species.

fact

The springs host species found nowhere else in the U.S., including the Quitobaquito pupfish, spring snail, Sonoyta mud turtle, and desert caper plant.

Grijalva sent a letter to DHS and Interior urging a halt until the tribe is consulted.

Construction near Quitobaquito is ongoing.

Residents of nearby Ajo are also trying to protect the springs.

Gov. Katie Hobbs said the federal government is ignoring the tribe's objections.

Gov. Katie Hobbs told KTAR News 92.3 FM Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos Thursday that the federal government is ignoring the tribe's objections.

Hobbs said her office had tried to help the tribe open a dialogue with the incoming Homeland Security secretary before construction began, but the effort went nowhere.

attribution · Gov. Katie Hobbs

Hobbs said the Nation does support a secure border.

"This is not about whether there should be a border wall or not, or whether the nation supports a secure border. They do," Hobbs said. "If it's going to go forward, they have to work with the tribe. They have to address their concerns and they can't just bulldoze over sacred sites."

attribution · Gov. Katie Hobbs

Jose said the issue goes beyond consultation.

But Jose said the issue goes beyond consultation. He argues the construction would shrink the nation's territory, something only Congress has the power to do.

"That would diminish the boundary of the nation. They have no authority there, the only entity that does is Congress," the chairman said. "Congress can reduce the size of tribal nations, not the president, not the Department of Homeland Security."

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

The Nation believes technology and partnerships can protect the border instead.

Opinion

Jose told reporters and Rep. Adelita Grijalva at Quitobaquito this week that he views the construction as a desecration.

Chairman Jose told reporters and U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva during a visit to Quitobaquito Springs this week that he views the construction as a desecration.

"I would never go into your church and destroy it. I would never go into your home and destroy it. I would never go into your cemeteries and blow them up. That is exactly what has happened to the O'odham and that's exactly what is going to happen to us again," Jose said.

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

Hobbs said the government is bulldozing over tribal sovereignty.

"They are literally bulldozing over tribal sovereignty right now," Hobbs said. "They've already disrupted cultural sites."

"This is not about whether there should be a border wall or not, or whether the nation supports a secure border. They do," Hobbs said. "If it's going to go forward, they have to work with the tribe. They have to address their concerns and they can't just bulldoze over sacred sites."

attribution · Gov. Katie Hobbs

Jose argued the first wall did not work, so a second should not be built.

Tucson Sentinel

Border Patrol SWAT team blocks Arizona tribal police from trespassing border wall contractors

Paul Ingram

26 Aug 2026

Facts

The award was backed by nearly $47 million in congressional funding from last year.

CBP told the court a secondary wall was not in the SLSCO award but was an option.

A CBP spokesman did not answer Tucson Sentinel questions and pointed to Scott's Tuesday statement.

A CBP spokesman did not answer questions from the Tucson Sentinel about the operation, but instead referred to a statement from Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott released Tuesday, which said that the agency is "moving ahead" with the project, which is intended to add more border barriers to the tribe's 62-mile border with Mexico.

fact

CBP told the court construction likely would not begin until Oct. 12, 2026.

Leon wrote that he expects the government to follow through on its guarantees of consolation and cooperation with the Nation.

"While I have concluded that a preliminary injunction is unwarranted, I fully expect the government in the months ahead to follow through on its guarantees of consolation and cooperation with the nation to address the nation's concerns regarding border wall construction!"

attribution · Judge Richard Leon

The proposal includes a double wall on the Nation.

"We have lived in this region since time immemorial. There is no doubt this wall will desecrate countless sacred areas, burial sites, and other important locations. There have been countless examples in recent years, such as the grading of the thousand-year-old Las Playas intaglio, dynamiting ancient burial sites at Monument Hill, and the ongoing damage to Quitobaquito Springs. The proposed double wall on the nation will have impacts much broader than the 60-foot limit cited in the ruling," Jose wrote.

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

The Tucson Sentinel reported that the court did not affirm the wall project or dismiss the tribe's lawsuit.

Scott said Congress funded the work and a federal court has affirmed it.

"Congress funded this work, a federal court has affirmed it, and CBP is carrying it out under the legal authorities that apply. Under President Trump's leadership, we are securing the border and giving our agents the tools and support they need to protect the American people."

attribution · CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott

The larger plan is barriers across 1,419 of the 1,954-mile border, including a double-layer wall, roads, and lighting.

Earlier this year, they learned Trump administration officials were moving forward on the project—part of a larger plan to install barriers across 1,419 miles of the 1,954-mile border—which includes a "double-layer" wall as well as roads, lighting and other infrastructure.

The project is part of an expansive effort to cover the entire Southwestern border with border barriers.

fact

The tribe argued it would destroy sacred ranges including Baboquivari Mountain, home of the creator I'itoi.

As part of the lawsuit, members of the tribe argued the border wall project would "unilaterally alter" their boundaries and result in the destruction of sacred mountain ranges such as the Baboquivari Mountain — the home of the creator god I'itoi — separate O'odham communities and families, interfere with religious rituals and destroy sacred plant and wildlife populations.

attribution · Tohono O'odham Nation

Leon's opinion was 18 pages.

DHS confirmed the project in May, and the tribe sued within weeks.

In the San Rafael Valley, contractors tore down three ancient cottonwoods to clear for barriers.

In Arizona, contractors are already rushing to install both "primary" and "secondary" barriers, including near Kino Springs, just east of Nogales, and in the San Rafael Valley, where contractors tore down three ancient cottonwoods to clear the way for border barriers.

fact

Contractors are already installing primary and secondary barriers near Kino Springs, east of Nogales.

In Arizona, contractors are already rushing to install both "primary" and "secondary" barriers, including near Kino Springs, just east of Nogales, and in the San Rafael Valley, where contractors tore down three ancient cottonwoods to clear the way for border barriers.

fact

During the first Trump administration the Nation released a video opposing the wall.

The Nation said it supports members who peacefully protest.

Opinion

Jose said the Nation strongly disagrees with the ruling and that impacts on land and sacred sites were not adequately addressed.

"On behalf of the Tohono O'odham Nation, we strongly disagree with this ruling. Too many critical issues were not adequately addressed, such as inevitable impacts construction will have on the nation's land and the permanent destruction of sacred sites," he said.

"We have lived in this region since time immemorial. There is no doubt this wall will desecrate countless sacred areas, burial sites, and other important locations. There have been countless examples in recent years, such as the grading of the thousand-year-old Las Playas intaglio, dynamiting ancient burial sites at Monument Hill, and the ongoing damage to Quitobaquito Springs. The proposed double wall on the nation will have impacts much broader than the 60-foot limit cited in the ruling," Jose wrote.

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

Jose said a proposed double wall would have impacts broader than the 60-foot limit in the ruling.

"We have lived in this region since time immemorial. There is no doubt this wall will desecrate countless sacred areas, burial sites, and other important locations. There have been countless examples in recent years, such as the grading of the thousand-year-old Las Playas intaglio, dynamiting ancient burial sites at Monument Hill, and the ongoing damage to Quitobaquito Springs. The proposed double wall on the nation will have impacts much broader than the 60-foot limit cited in the ruling," Jose wrote.

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

KJZZ

Tohono O'odham assessing options after armed federal agents entered tribal land for border wall

Alisa Reznick

27 Aug 2026

Facts

The U.S. has built vehicle barriers, roads, and surveillance towers on the stretch but never a wall.

The U.S. has erected vehicle barriers — squat metal fencing made of old railroad ties — along with roads and surveillance towers but never a wall.

The Trump administration announced plans to build one along the stretch for the first time this summer, and the tribe filed suit to stop construction.

fact

Tribe footage shows heavy machinery digging a borehole for soil sampling.

Existing vehicle barriers are squat metal fencing made of old railroad ties.

Some of the federal personnel wore tactical gear and masks.

Tohono O'odham Chairman Verlon Jose said early Tuesday morning that he began receiving calls from tribal police that armed Border Patrol agents, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs officers and other federal entities were in the tribal nation, some wearing tactical gear and masks.

attribution · Chairman Verlon Jose

Jose said contractors are drilling soil-sample boreholes every quarter mile.

Border Patrol told his office the pre-construction work will last seven to 10 days.

Jose said the tribe is appealing that order and assessing other ways to oppose the wall.

The 60-foot Roosevelt Reservation runs the border in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

Opinion

No opinion marked.

Arizona Public Media

Armed federal agents enter Tohono O'odham Nation after tribe kicks out border wall contractors, tribal leadership says

Angela Gervasi

26 Aug 2026

Facts

Scott did not specifically confirm the use of armed agents, and CBP did not answer AZPM's follow-up.

The Tuesday evening press release did not specify where on the Nation the agents were operating.

Indivisible Tohono circulated video of Border Patrol trucks and Mexican federal police cars at the existing vehicle barrier.

The grassroots group Indivisible Tohono, however, circulated footage Wednesday morning showing a slew of vehicles driving onto the land — including a steady stream of white-and-green Border Patrol trucks and a cluster of Mexican federal police cars, the latter sitting just south of the vehicle barrier that currently cuts across the Nation.

fact

The Nation said it posted drone footage of the entry, but AZPM could not find where the public could view it.

The Tohono O'odham Nation's statement said it had posted drone footage of the federal government entering tribal land on its website, though it was unclear where members of the public could find the footage.

A tribal spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from AZPM seeking the video.

fact

Opinion

AZPM described the armed entry as an escalation of the 62-mile wall push through tribal land.

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