Last week, the Tohono O'odham Nation was awaiting a federal appeals court decision as border wall contractors working in Arizona prepared to remove thousands of cacti, including sacred saguaros, from tribal land.
A federal judge denied the tribe's request for an injunction in the lead-up to Indigenous Peoples Day.
Here's what to know
The saguaros were slated to be removed as part of preparations for wall construction along the U.S. border with Mexico, as reported by Tucson Spotlight. As described by the local outlet, the cacti are symbols of the Tohono O'odham's faith, and the timing of the removal on or near Monday's Indigenous Peoples Day was perceived as disrespectful.
Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., refused to pause the project while the tribe appealed a prior ruling allowing the construction to proceed. This ruling left pre-construction work, including removal of the saguaros, to continue.
In a statement, the Nation said U.S. Customs and Border Protection planned to remove thousands of saguaros and other plants, as part of border-wall work. The tribe further accused DHS of providing almost no updates and of failing to meet what it called a legal obligation to consult with the Nation.
Tribal citizens organized a protest march. According to the Arizona Daily Star, no contractors were seen on site on Monday, "but tribal officials were braced for their arrival any day."
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More background
Though the saguaros are supposed to be relocated, the Nation has said past attempts to do so have not been successful, with many ultimately dying, per Tucson Spotlight.
For the Nation, that history suggests relocation could cause lasting damage, affecting both the desert landscape and the traditions connected to it.
Experts have also touted the role of saguaros in sustaining the desert ecosystem. The Tucson Bird Alliance has previously written that "the saguaro is so vital to the ecosystem that it has earned the title of a keystone species — the fate of the Sonoran Desert is forever linked to the fate of the saguaro cactus."
In denying the Nation's request for a construction pause as its appeal is heard, Judge Richard Leon said the government's security interests outweighed the Nation's interests, a determination he believed was unlikely to be overturned.
"I see no compelling reason to revisit my conclusion that the balance of equities and public interest favor the Government at this juncture," Leon wrote, per the Daily Star, in denying the tribe's request for an injunction last week.
In its statement this week, the Nation called removing the saguaros "an atrocity."
Where can I learn more?
For more context on the broader fights over border infrastructure, desert plants, water, and Indigenous land, take a look at these articles:
• In Nogales, Arizona, an artist highlighted the border wall's toll on wildlife and habitat.
• In Arizona and California, lawmakers weighed long-term Joshua tree protections for imperiled desert icons.
• The Pueblo of Jemez secured a land-rights settlement preserving ancestral ground inside a national preserve.
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