For thousands of years, the Tohono O’odham tribe has resided on a large area of land extending from central Arizona to northern Mexico. Members of the tribe cross the border with regularity to visit community and family members, and visit cultural and religious sites.The Trump administration’s attempt to encroach on the sovereignty of the Tohono O'odham Nation is not the answer.

The building of President Trump's a border wall would effectively split the Tohono O’odham Nation in half.

• Families would be torn apart.
• Tribe members who are entitled to services provided by the U.S. government would not have ready access.
• There would be an increased risk of horrific flood damages from the barrier.
• Destruction of sacred sites and burial grounds that are in the path of proposed construction. 

The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 divided the Tohono O’odham tribe between the U.S.-Mexico border. The tribe did not cross the border, the border crossed them! The 1853 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo made provisions for Indigenous peoples living along the border to maintain their land, culture, and religion, though nothing explicitly protected border crossing rights of native peoples.

• The wall would eliminate the San Miguel gate, preventing the tribe from practicing their religion, which breaches the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
• The construction of a border wall is in direct violation of Article 36 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as it prevents them from carrying on their way of life without interference.
• In short: the U.S. government has not honored a single treaty it has made with Indigenous peoples.

The proposed border wall is a blatant attempt made by the U.S. government to impose its agenda on the Tohono O'odham, trampling their rights in the process. If you believe the U.S. government must honor tribal sovereignty and human rights, and that laws and treaties must be honored and not waived under the guise of national security to promote government interests, please sign this petition.