The Tohono O’odham Nation is mounting opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to construct a 62-mile border wall through its reservation in southern Arizona. The proposed barrier, which could begin construction as early as next month, would divide the tribe’s homeland along the U.S.-Mexico border, prompting concerns over restricted movement for tribal members, threats to wildlife and sacred sites, and an erosion of tribal sovereignty.

The Tohono O’odham reservation spans roughly the size of Connecticut and stretches into the Mexican state of Sonora, an area historically inhabited by the tribe long before modern national borders were established. Today, around 40,000 enrolled members live on the U.S. side, with approximately 2,000 residing in Mexico, maintaining cultural and familial ties that require cross-border access. Currently, crossing the existing border fence requires tribal members to contact Border Patrol agents for permission, who manage three gates along the boundary.

Tribal leaders have expressed frustration with the federal government, accusing it of disregarding their rights and heritage. “It’s like me bulldozing right through Arlington Cemetery,” said Verlon Jose, chair of the Tohono O’odham Nation. He characterized the administration’s actions as erasing the tribe, despite decades of cooperation with U.S. border authorities. The nation has supported immigration enforcement in the past, allowing Border Patrol operations, surveillance towers, and investing $3 million annually in border security while working alongside federal agents.

However, the Trump administration’s renewed push for an extensive barrier, accompanied by waivers of environmental reviews, has fractured this relationship. Officials argue the project targets a major corridor for drug trafficking and cartel-related crime. “The project will close one of the most dangerous smuggling and trafficking corridors on the southwest border,” said Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The tribe has taken legal action, filing a lawsuit in June to block construction, asserting the wall would unlawfully reduce the reservation’s size without congressional consent. The legal challenge also questions the administration’s reliance on the Roosevelt Reservation—a 60-foot-wide strip of federally owned land along the border—from California to New Mexico, which the government cites as authority to build the wall. The Tohono O’odham argue that their land is exempt from this designation and that the barrier would inevitably extend beyond the strip’s boundaries.

Last month, a federal judge declined to issue an emergency injunction against construction, ruling that national security interests outweighed tribal concerns. The tribe has since filed an appeal.

Tensions escalated recently when masked and armed Border Patrol agents accompanied contractors conducting survey work on the reservation, an action tribal leaders labeled trespassing. The dispute stands out amid broader opposition to the border wall across diverse communities, including environmental groups, religious leaders, and private landowners.

The Tohono O’odham Nation’s unique geographic and cultural position, coupled with its long history of navigating border politics, now places it at the forefront of a high-profile conflict between indigenous sovereignty and federal security policy in the American Southwest.