The Tohono O'odham Nation: US Threatens and Promises Destruction while Building Border Wall
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| Photo Laiken Jordahl 2020 |
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Oct. 16, 2026
The Tohono O'odham Legislative Council said today that their Nation and way of life are under attack by the federal government, while the U.S. government threatens and feels assured of its power to violate the rights of a sovereign nation.
Homeland Security plans to begin removing O'odham relatives, the Saguaro, and Ocotillo, in two weeks. More than half of the 2,000 Saguaro will not survive, even if they are transplanted. The government plans to start building the wall on December 1, the tribe said.
The U.S. Border Patrol also issued a threat.
"Last week, Border Patrol agents said that the prayer camp at San Miguel Gate would be removed
and our people there could be “manhandled," the tribe said.
"We are deeply concerned for our members’ safety
and want to report that the campers were able to move to an area farther from the international
boundary."
"The Legislative Council recognizes all members’ rights to worship, peacefully assemble, and freedom of speech."
Reporter John Carlos Frey said that Border Patrol stormed the Tohono O’odham prayer camp with rifles raised while families slept inside.
At 3:28 am in the morning, Border Patrol agents stormed the camp. Awakened, the fire keepers heard a gun being chambered by an agent with a long gun. The fire keepers' log lists 665 sightings of drones and helicopters and surveillance. Listen to the report on Wednesday morning:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1659999418986420
While Homeland Security says it has a right to build the wall 60 feet from the border, the tribe said it knows the destruction of building the double border wall will extend further and destroy mountains and peaks.
While Homeland Security says it has a right to build the wall 60 feet from the border, the tribe said it knows the destruction of building the double border wall will extend further and destroy mountains and peaks.
The Court of Appeals in Washington will rule soon on an emergency order to stop Homeland Security, the tribe said.
Homeland Security says it has a right to build the wall with more lighting, surveillance, staging areas and cameras and towers.
The tribal government said today it has been fighting to stop the wall in court, in Congress, and in meetings with the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Border Patrol, but Homeland Security says "the call is coming, and we need to be prepared," the tribe said.
"DHS continues telling the court that they have the right to build the wall, roads, more
surveillance cameras and towers, power lines, lights, staging areas, concrete batch plants, and
more within 60’ of the international boundary."
"We know that’s not true and their destruction of
our T-Duduag (mountains) and T-Jeweḍga (land) would go far beyond deeper into our
Reservation."
"DHS is still planning to start removing 2000 of our sacred haha:ṣañ (saguaros) and many melhog
(ocotillo) in two weeks, and we know at least half of our haha:ṣañ would die even if they were
transplanted."
"They say that when they are done, they will destroy the rest of the vegetation in the
construction zone, move heavy equipment and wall materials onto our lands, and start building
the wall on December 1," the tribe said.
Previously, a federal judge denied the tribe an injunction, but directed Homeland Security and its Border Patrol to consult with the tribe before proceeding. However, without consultation, armed and masked federal agents escorted in border wall construction crews, who immediately started drilling.
Read the tribe's full statement:
