An ongoing border wall project has sparked environmental concerns as construction crews dismantle a historic cottonwood grove at the Arizona-Mexico border. These actions have led to the arrest of a protester in Lochiel, Arizona, a small community located 25 miles from Nogales.
Footage from the area reveals interactions between a construction worker, a Border Patrol agent, and a protester, with fallen cottonwood trees visible in the background. The Sierra Club’s Erick Meza reports that four cottonwood trees, each over a century old, were positioned along the border in Lochiel. However, construction workers have already felled three of them without adhering to the protective guidelines outlined by Border Patrol.
“And even after they were told about this letter, they didn’t want to listen,” stated Meza. “They start using some of the heavy machinery they have and just taking down the trees.”
According to a June 18 letter from Border Patrol, made public by the Sierra Club, the trees are situated within the Roosevelt Reservation, a federal land strip designated for the border wall. The agency noted that environmental monitors would evaluate the trees and attend the removal process.
The letter also specified, “If construction activities will result in the disturbance or harm of a migratory bird, then coordination with the appropriate federal agencies will occur. The contractor will also establish a buffer zone around active nests until nestlings have fledged and abandoned the nest.”
Despite these measures, Meza claims no such precautions were implemented. His organization sent Border Patrol evidence of nesting activity in the trees, but received no response.
Following a call from Border Patrol, a protester was arrested by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for third-degree trespassing after refusing to vacate the site. The individual was released the same day and is expected in court soon.
The Trump administration, late last year, awarded approximately $1.4 billion to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. for constructing 19 miles of new and secondary border wall in Arizona, alongside 136 miles of surveillance technology.
This contract is part of a larger initiative to establish a Smart Wall system in Arizona and Texas, featuring lights, surveillance, and physical barriers. This development is intended for expansive public lands in Arizona, some already equipped with a 30-foot steel bollard wall from the prior Trump administration.
Questions directed to CBP and Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. regarding the cottonwood removal and the June 18 letter have gone unanswered.
