The Tohono O'odham Nation has filed an emergency injunction to stop the removal of thousands of saguaros and other vegetation to construct a border wall.
Contractors for the federal government were set to begin clearing the saguaros on Oct. 12, which is Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Arizona, however, continues to officially observe Columbus Day as a state holiday on the second Monday of October.
During an Oct. 7 multi-faith rally at the San Xavier Community Center opposing the Trump administration’s second border wall on Tohono O’odham lands, tribal Chairman Verlon Jose warned about the upcoming action.
Known as ha:sañ, saguaros are symbols of the Tohono O'odham shared faith, serving as spiritual monuments to customs and values. The removal of any saguaro is
an act of atrocity, as they are considered people by the Tohono O'odham, stated the tribe.
"Trespassing on our land to remove the sacred saguaros is like having masked men break into your house and take away your children, " Jose said. "The ha:sañ are our family, as much a part of us as any blood relative. To destroy them by the thousands carves a wound in our hearts that will not heal.
"We call on all people for solidarity as we work to protect our culture and our land from this useless, destructive wall. "
The Tohono O'odham Nation said they had filed an emergency injunction earlier this week with the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals to stop the Department of Homeland Security from removing thousands of the sacred saguaros on tribal land.
It was not immediately clear when the court would take up the matter.
Other tribal leaders, Arizona politicians support Tohono O’odham effort
Over the past several months, efforts to build the border wall through Tohono O’odham lands have intensified, particularly after a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction that would have halted construction while the tribe’s lawsuit challenging the project proceeded. The tribefiled the lawsuit in June.
Supporters of the tribe include U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., the Pima County Board of Supervisors and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and the City Council, which unanimously approved a resolution opposing construction of the border wall on the Tohono O'odham Nation.
"I stand here as the mayor of the City of Tucson in solidarity against the construction of a border that isn't doing anything but destroying this land," said Romero during the faith-based rally Oct. 7.
"The City of Tucson is in full support in opposition to this expensive and non-necessary border wall. The Mayor and City Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing our deep concern regarding the impact of the border wall on the people, the environment and our sacred sites.”On Sept. 25, leaders from the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community joined the Tohono O’odham Nation for a tour of tribal lands threatened by border wall construction.
The visit gave tribal leaders a firsthand look at the damage already caused by the project and the expected destruction still to come, including the thousands of saguaros marked for removal.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs; the National Congress of American Indians, which represents the interests of all 573 federally recognized tribes; the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, representing 21 federally recognized Arizona tribes; and the Native American Rights Fund, which for more than 50 years has provided legal assistance to tribes nationwide, have filed amicus briefs in support of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
Since taking office in January 2023, Hobbs has invested more than $200 million in border security, launching initiatives including Arizona’s first Border Coordination Office. In March 2025, she established Operation Desert Guardian, a multi-agency task force coordinating border enforcement across state, local, tribal and federal partners.
"Ensuring border security and respecting tribal sovereignty are not mutually exclusive. Arizona’s executive record demonstrates this in practice: the State has achieved historic border security gains through a multi-faceted strategy that integrates tribal cooperation, and the border along the Tucson Sector is more secure today than at any point in recent history," stated in Hobbs Sept. 23 filed amicus brief.
"It will remain so while this appeal proceeds. What cannot be restored, once lost, are the sacred mountains and cultural resources in this wall’s path."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tribe fights saguaro removal in borderlands on Indigenous Peoples’ Day
