Indigenous conflicts on the Mexico–United States barrier
The barrier erected between the United States and Mexico cuts through and/or affects at least 29 Indigenous tribes, which include Kumeyaay Nation and Tohono O'odham.
[5] Further expansion of wall construction occurred with President Donald Trump's Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements.
[2][3] For instance, a tribal nation that spans the border might offer citizenship to all people regardless of location, but the states in which they exist may not recognize them as citizens of their locale.
[9] The Kumeyaay initially were located along the Pacific coastline, but they were later forced inland towards present-day San Diego and occupied territory that would later span the United States and Mexico border.
It did however mark a change in relationship as the Kumeyaay successfully raided surrounding ranchos and left the San Diego mission town weakened by 1846.
[12] Land disputes, violence, and territory loss lasted for many years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo because of the massive influx of people participating in the California Gold Rush.
Racial profiling, requiring documentation, and fear have restricted free movement of Indigenous peoples to their counterparts across the border while also interrupting their daily practices and lives.
A Supreme Court ruling upheld that "apparent Mexican ancestry" is reasonable suspicion to stop people near the United States and Mexico border.
For instance, the Tohono O'odham people in Mexico and the United States are citizens of a binational tribe, and they are able to utilize the tribal nation's services, such as healthcare.
However, the militarization of the United States border control of this area makes it very difficult for them to cross and visit family, participate in ceremonies, and access resources and services.
Whether they have to obtain specific documentation or drive hundreds of miles away to an official point of entry, the Tohono O'odham are restricted from free travel within their territories.
In 1998, the Tohono O'odham Nation pursued legal means to ensure free passage through gates on traditional lands, which failed to pass in the United States Congress.
In the mid 2010s, the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui tribe formed agreements with Homeland Security regarding the enhanced tribal ID cards.
[8] The border wall violates, in certain instances, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act as it restricts access to elders and sacred sites to practice their religion.
[3] For example, the physical border wall that was built between the Tohono O'odham territories was constructed through two burial sites in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
[17] For endangered species, like the Mexican gray wolf and the Sonoran pronghorn, the border wall will fragment their habitat and make reestablish their populations near impossible.
[20] In early 2020, the Tohono O'odham tribal leaders approved the construction of integrated fixed tower that would have advanced technology in an effort to secure the border virtually.
Border Patrol agents and park rangers pushed and shoved protesters; other officers threatened the use of paintball guns to disperse the crowd.
Taking place near an immigration checkpoint on State Route 85, troopers fired tear gas, smoke canisters, and rubber bullets and used physical force, such as kneeling.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that the "remains" were construction materials while the San Diego medical examiner confirmed the sample was human.
[25] On September 21, 2020, two individuals were arrested after refusing to leave the campsite, which had been an active protest camp for months, when the Bureau of Land Management issued a closure.
[27] As of October 18, 2020, the legal challenge to the construction of the Border Wall, filed by La Posta Band of Mission Indians, is in the Court of Appeals.
