Rep. Grijalva and Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Jose Condemn Federal Agents’ Entry Onto Sovereign Tribal Lands

TUCSON, AZ — Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva and Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose today condemned the entry of armed federal agents and federal contractors onto sovereign Tohono O’odham Nation lands without authorization and in violation of the Nation’s laws governing entry onto Tribal lands. 

According to the Tohono O’odham Nation, approximately 20 masked and armed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, alongside contractors and drilling trucks entered the Nation at approximately 4:00 a.m. Tuesday and began engaging in border wall pre-construction activities at three separate locations near the international border.

Earlier this year, the border wall construction damaged the 1,000-year-old Las Playas Intaglio, underscoring the consequences of proceeding without meaningful Tribal consultation. Congresswoman Grijalva and Chairman Jose are calling for an immediate halt to unauthorized construction and pre-construction activity on Tribal lands and for the federal government to respect the Nation’s sovereignty and legal authority over its lands.

“There is no justification for armed federal agents and contractors entering Tribal lands in the early hours of the morning and proceeding with construction activity without the consent of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The federal government cannot claim to respect Tribal sovereignty while simultaneously sending armed personnel onto a sovereign Tribal Nation’s lands and blocking Tribal police from enforcing Tribal law,” said Rep. Grijalva.

“The United States must honor its obligations to Tribal Nations and respect the sovereignty, laws, sacred places, and ancestral lands of the O’odham people. We have already seen the irreversible damage caused when this Administration rushes forward with border construction.These actions come less than 24 hours after the Chairman and I visited this sacred site. I stand with Chairman Jose and the Tohono O’odham Nation in demanding that this activity stop immediately.” she added

“The Tohono O’odham Nation has been clear: we will not stand by while the federal government enters our lands, disregards our laws, and threatens places that have been sacred to our people since time immemorial,” said Chairman Jose que

“Our sovereignty is not optional. Our laws are not optional. And our sacred lands are not expendable for the construction of a border wall. We expect the federal government to respect the Nation’s authority and to engage with us as a sovereign Tribal government, not treat our people and our lands as obstacles to be pushed aside. What happened today is unacceptable, and we will continue to defend our Nation, our people, and our lands.”

Congresswoman Grijalva and Chairman Jose reiterated their commitment to working together to protect the Tohono O’odham Nation’s sovereignty, cultural resources, sacred sites, and ancestral homelands and to pursuing every appropriate legal and legislative avenue to prevent further unauthorized activity on Tribal lands.

Watch the video of  Federal Agents and Border Wall Construction Contractors on the Tohono O’odham Nation here.