A view of the Tohono O'odham Nation. Photo by biotour13
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump launched his fiery campaign in June 2015 with calls for a wall along the United States border with Mexico, vowing to make America's southern neighbor "pay" for it somehow. But as citizens of the Tohono O’odham Nation point out, the border was imposed on their territory without their consent. They travel back and forth between Arizona and Mexico for ceremonies and to visit relatives and friends and a wall is out of the question for them. “Over my dead body will anyone build a wall there. I will personally do whatever is necessary to make sure a wall is not built there," Vice Chairman Verlon Jose told The Huffington Post, relaying the tribe's position against the wall. Tribal citizens already face problems when they cross the border due to concerns about drug smugglers, crime and terrorism. And some who who lack birth certificates aren't even considered American citizens even though they were born on the Arizona portion of the reservation, which runs about 75 miles along the U.S.-Mexico boundary. Jose wasn't among a small group of tribal leaders who met with Trump in June of this year although he was invited to attend. The Republican nominee has since announced a Native American Coalition but has not offered any Indian policy specifics, including whether he would build the wall without the consent of the Tohono O'odham Nation. Jose is not part of the Native American Coalition, which is short on prominent or respected figures in Indian Country. Read More on the Story:
Trump’s Border Wall Will Have A 75-Mile-Wide Gap In It (The Huffington Post 11/6) Also Today:
After 'Pocahontas' Slurs, Trump May Tip Native American Voters Toward Clinton (Haaretz 11/7)
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