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Judge allows Trump administration to build border wall along tribal land
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal judge denied the Tohono O’odham Nation's request to halt construction of 62 miles of border wall on its reservation, ruling the tribe failed to prove the wall would alter reservation boundaries without congressional approval.
- Judge Richard Leon emphasized the government's interests in border security, immigration enforcement, and public safety outweigh the tribe's claims of irreparable harm at this stage.
- The Tohono O’odham Nation argued the wall would cause significant environmental and cultural damage, disrupting sacred sites, religious practices, and community ties across the U.S.-Mexico border.
- The dispute involves a 1907 presidential proclamation creating a 60-foot buffer zone along the border, but the tribe contends the wall cannot be confined to this narrow corridor.
- Judge Leon noted the case presents novel legal issues with no clear precedent, expressing skepticism about the tribe's request for a preliminary injunction.
