Trump moves forward with border wall in Arizona despite objections from indigenous tribe

The Trump administration has begun construction on a new section of the border wall in southern Arizona, in an area that runs through part of the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation, whose members oppose the project.

According to the Associated Press (AP), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains that the area is a dangerous route used for drug smuggling and that the wall will close a security gap along the border. The tribe, however, accuses the government of trespassing on its lands and warns that the construction will affect lands it considers sacred.

The Tohono O'odham Nation reported that about 20 CBP agents accompanied contractors onto tribal lands on Tuesday to begin work. Videos recorded by drones and released by officials show about 14 vehicles and an industrial drill at one of the sites.

In early August, a federal judge allowed the government to proceed with construction. The wall is planned for a 60-foot-wide strip of federal land known as the Roosevelt Reservation, but the tribe maintains that contractors must cross tribal territory to access the sites where the barrier will be erected.

The project is part of the Trump administration's approximately $46 billion plan to expand border infrastructure, which includes 30-foot-high steel walls, vehicle barriers, and technology designed to curb illegal immigration and smuggling.