DHS Wants To Build A Border Wall Through Tohono O’odham Land. It’s Another Instance of The US Undermining Tribal Sovereignty.
In May, the Department of Homeland Security informed the Tohono O’odham Nation, the largest Native nation located along an international border, that it was beginning construction on a border wall that would cut through its reservation. But DHS failed to ask the Tohono O’odham’s authorization to cut through its lands, which include present-day Arizona and […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has initiated construction of a border wall that would traverse Tohono O’odham Nation lands, without first seeking the tribe's permission. The Tohono O’odham, the largest Native nation along an international border, has sued the Trump administration to halt the wall's construction on its lands, which span both Arizona and northwest Mexico.
The nation's complaint asserts the wall would inflict significant harm on its lands and people. This action is emblematic of the US undermining tribal sovereignty, a long-standing pattern of disregarding indigenous rights in favor of the nation's own plans, as noted by Dr. Keith Richotte, a law professor at the University of Arizona.
The concept of tribal sovereignty, while recognized in the US Constitution, has frequently been disregarded by the federal government when it conflicts with US interests. The Tohono O’odham Nation, with its long-standing cooperative relationship with federal agencies, views the border wall as a direct threat to its religious practices, cultural heritage, and environmental sanctuaries, such as Baboquivari Mountain.
This case is but the latest example of the US ignoring tribal sovereignty in pursuit of its own objectives, a pattern that began with the establishment of treaties to legitimize US power and expand its territorial control.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
