O’odham activists arrested for protesting border wall construction

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Video courtesy Leilani Clark

O’odham Water & Land Defenders Arrested Halting Border Wall

Construction Threatening Sacred Site

September 9, 2020

Press release from O’odham Anti Border Collective

Quitobaquito Springs, Arizona — This morning two members of the O’odham Anti Border Collective & Defend O’odham Jewed took direct action and halted construction of the border wall threatening A’al Vappia/Quitobaquito Springs in Hia-Ced O’odham jeved (O’odham Lands) near Ajo, Arizona.

This is an O’odham u’uwi (women) led direct action. The springs, one of the only desert water sources, are located in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument right on the US and Mexican border.

As one of the land defenders occupied a bulldozer they stated, “You do not have permission to be here, this is O’odham Land. This is a sacred area.”

As armed Border Patrol and sheriffs arrested the two land defenders they stated, “This land means so much more than a wall.”