Protests are mounting in Arizona as new initiatives to construct a sophisticated “smart wall” along sections of the U.S.-Mexico border progress.
Transcript
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Construction has begun on a border wall within a Native American reservation in Arizona. This development follows a federal judge’s recent decision to allow the project to proceed, despite efforts to halt it. The wall forms part of a larger expansion plan that also encompasses areas within a nearby national monument and valued wildlands close to Tucson. Alisa Reznick from KJZZ provides further details.
ALISA REZNICK, BYLINE: Traveling along a rugged dirt road in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, we make our way to Quitobaquito Springs. Marlene Vasquez, now 76, frequently visited this place during her childhood.
MARLENE VASQUEZ: We used to take the old route and emerge right by Quitobaquito.
REZNICK: Vasquez is a member of the Hia C-ed O’odham tribe, which historically inhabited Quitobaquito. The spring feeds into a pond located roughly 200 feet from the border. Alongside her grandmother, Vasquez would pay respects at the graves of family members buried in the area.
VASQUEZ: She would do everything possible to prevent anyone from entering and disturbing that land because it was their home.
REZNICK: Despite strong opposition, a 30-foot steel wall was erected at Quitobaquito during the Trump administration. Federal authorities are now preparing to construct a second steel barrier as part of a large-scale project including roads, lighting, and surveillance systems. Aaron Cooper, associated with the nonprofit International Sonoran Desert Alliance, and Vasquez are among the community members visiting the site before construction begins.
AARON COOPER: We have limited information. The Department of Homeland Security is not transparent about their plans.
REZNICK: According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson, the department intends to collaborate with federal agencies to preserve Quitobaquito. The new wall will occupy a 60-foot strip of land. The Tohono O’odham Nation, neighboring the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, shares a 62-mile border with Mexico, with no current wall on the reservation.
VERLON JOSE: We are striving to maintain the integrity of this last remaining area.
REZNICK: Chairman Verlon Jose of the Tohono O’odham Nation asserts that the wall undermines tribal sovereignty. Although a lawsuit against the wall was unsuccessful, the tribe is exploring further legal avenues, with hopes of escalating the case to the Supreme Court.
JOSE: The initial wall caused damage, and the secondary wall will only exacerbate it.
REZNICK: About 90 miles east, activists are establishing camps in and around a historic cottonwood tree, where the construction of parallel walls is ongoing, funded by contracts exceeding a billion dollars. In July, environmentalists reported the removal of three cottonwood trees, estimated to be up to 250 years old.
KATE SCOTT: How’s everything up there?
REZNICK: Kate Scott addresses a fellow protester perched on a wooden platform high in the branches of the remaining tree.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTER: I’m doing well.
SCOTT: Okay, just checking on you.
REZNICK: The protesters refer to the tree as the “grandmother,” symbolizing the broader struggle to preserve the borderlands. Nearby, remnants of the uprooted cottonwoods lie along the dirt road, as construction vehicles rumble past.
SCOTT: Our grandmother represents the entire borderlands and the ongoing destruction.
(SOUNDBITE OF RATTLE RATTLING)
UNIDENTIFIED TRIBAL ELDERS: (Singing in non-English language).
REZNICK: At Quitobaquito, two tribal members sing by the pond’s edge as the steel wall looms against the vibrant sunset. Marlene Vasquez, a Hia C-ed O’odham elder, expresses concern for the future.
VASQUEZ: We must seek assistance from our creator to support our cause.
REZNICK: In anticipation of further wall construction, the National Park Service has closed the road to Quitobaquito. Reporting for NPR News, I’m Alisa Reznick in Tucson.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
