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Border wall contractors accused of damaging ancient tribal site near Ajo
AJO, AZ (AZFamily) — Contractors working on a new secondary border wall south of Ajo, Arizona, are accused of damaging an archaeological site believed to be about 1,000 years old.
Leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation call the location a sacred site and say contractors were told to avoid it.
The incident is connected to a broader, multi-billion-dollar push to add new barriers along the southern border, including a so-called “smart wall.” Conservation groups have warned that the pace of construction could lead to environmental laws and other protections being overlooked.
Tohono O’odham Tribal Chairman Verlon Jose reacted in a social media video saying: “This was more than land — it was identity… it was history.” He added that sacred O’odham sites “are not just places — they’re a living connection to our ancestors, to who we are. And now, those connections have been severed.”
Leaders of the Tohono O’odham Nation call the location a sacred site and say contractors were told to avoid it.
The incident is connected to a broader, multi-billion-dollar push to add new barriers along the southern border, including a so-called “smart wall.” Conservation groups have warned that the pace of construction could lead to environmental laws and other protections being overlooked.
Tohono O’odham Tribal Chairman Verlon Jose reacted in a social media video saying: “This was more than land — it was identity… it was history.” He added that sacred O’odham sites “are not just places — they’re a living connection to our ancestors, to who we are. And now, those connections have been severed.”
https://www.kold.com/2026/05/06/border-wall-contractors-accused-damaging-ancient-tribal-site-near-ajo/