Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr testified at a Senate field hearing on border violence on Monday.

The reservation straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. Norris said tribal members are being recruited by drug trafficking cartels.

"The Tohono O'odham Nation is in the midst of a crisis," Norris told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, The Arizona Republic reported.

Marijuana seizures by tribal police are up 27 percent, Norris said. Of the 534 drug cases that were prosecuted in federal court between 2004 and 20094, Norris said 30 percent involved tribal members.

The field hearing took place in Phoenix, Arizona.

Get the Story:
Senate panel meets in Valley on growing border violence (The Arizona Republic 4/21)
Senate looks at border (The Arizona Daily Star 4/21)
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Committee Hearing:
Southern Border Violence: State and Local Perspectives (April 20, 2009)