DHS Plans Wall Across Tohono O’odham Reservation, Ignoring Tribal Consent

The Department of Homeland Security notified the Tohono O’odham Nation in May that it intended to start erecting a border barrier across the tribe’s reservation, which spans Arizona and Sonora, without first securing tribal approval. In response, the nation sued the Trump administration in June, requesting a preliminary injunction to stop construction, citing severe impacts on its territory, cultural heritage, and the daily lives of its people.

Experts highlight that this reflects a long-standing U.S. tendency to sideline tribal sovereignty whenever federal projects conflict with Native interests. The tribe, which allocates roughly $3 million each year to its own border enforcement, warns the wall would split communities, endanger sacred sites such as Baboquivari Mountain, and disrupt religious rituals. Scholars like Keith Richotte and Caroline LaPorte explain that Western notions of sovereignty differ from Indigenous perspectives that view land as a shared source of life, not merely property. The lawsuit joins other recent challenges to federal immigration initiatives that have proceeded without tribal consultation, underscoring ongoing tensions between federal authorities and Native nations.