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Border Wall Contractors Enter Tohono O'odham Territory in Arizona; Tribe Denounces Invasion Image: Especial.
🇲🇽 Mexico /Conflict & Security

Border Wall Contractors Enter Tohono O'odham Territory in Arizona; Tribe Denounces Invasion

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Border wall contractors and armed agents entered the Tohono O'odham Nation's territory in Arizona early Tuesday.
  • The tribe stated the action is a direct violation of their civil code regarding unauthorized entry.
  • Tohono O'odham police responded to the scene, while federal agencies deployed additional personnel and surveillance.

The Tohono O'odham Nation has denounced the actions of border wall contractors and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who entered their territory in Arizona early Tuesday morning. Around 4:00 AM, contractors, accompanied by approximately 20 armed and masked CBP agents from the Tucson Sector, began pre-construction activities on tribal land.

According to tribal authorities, the contractors were illegally on Nation territory. Agents were positioned at three different points near the border, overseeing drilling trucks conducting soil sampling and other preparatory work. The Tohono O'odham Nation declared these actions a direct violation of their Code, Title 4, Chapter 2, which addresses civil invasion and the exclusion of unauthorized persons.

Tribal police officers from the Tohono O'odham Police Department (TOPD) were dispatched to the location and are monitoring the situation. In addition to CBP agents, officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and a Border Patrol SWAT team were deployed to provide security for the contractors. Federal authorities were also utilizing a tethered balloon for enhanced surveillance.

The CBP reportedly established a vehicle blockade to prevent the Tohono O'odham Police from issuing citations or removing the contractors. The Nation also reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security coordinated with Mexican authorities to deploy personnel to secure the area from the southern side of the border during the border wall construction activities.

Despite the tense situation, encounters between the Tohono O'odham Police and federal authorities have remained peaceful and professional thus far. The tribal leadership urged members of the Nation, on both sides of the border, to remain vigilant and prioritize their safety. They also expressed support for those who choose to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful protest.

These actions constitute a direct violation of our Code, Title 4, Chapter 2, relating to civil invasion and the exclusion of unauthorized persons.

— Tohono O'odham Nation authoritiesDenouncing the entry of border wall contractors and armed agents onto tribal land.
About this summary

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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