Student Slideshows Arizona 2011: Chelsea Grayson

People of the Desert

By Chelsea Grayson

Hundreds of migrants continue to cross from Mexico into Arizona every day, despite the deadly terrain of the Sonora desert. Over the last decade, the border between the United States and Mexico has become heavily militarized, as illegal drugs, migration and human trafficking heighten tensions between the two countries. Consequently, U.S. immigration policy has become more strict, the repercussions more severe.

What many may not know, however, is that sandwiched between these two countries – and entangled in the web of newly enforced immigration laws – is a sovereign nation, the Tohono O’odham Nation. This Native American reservation, with land on both sides of the border, has become a frontline in the war on illegal immigration.

Tohono O’odham means “People of the Desert.” The Tohono O’odham reservation lands cover more than 4,400 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut, most of which is in the Sonora desert.

As urban crossings have been increasingly fortified over the last two decades, migrants have been increasingly forced into the harsh climes of this desert. And with increased migration has come increased U.S. Border Patrol presence on tribal lands.

The littered remains of water bottles and empty tuna cans scattered across sacred land and the continuous presence of law enforcement in the creases and crevices of the landscape make it difficult for tribal members to believe that their land is in fact sovereign. Where once the Tohono O’odham could easily cross “the border” in their lands, now there are fences and the San Miguel Gate, manned by the Border Patrol. Members of the nation on the U.S. side can still cross into Mexico, but they all must have their U.S. government-approved Tohono O’odham identity card to return. This has divided the nation, preventing members born in Mexico from being able to fully participate in all tribal functions.

Coupled with the challenges immigration policies and enforcement place on the Tohono O’odham, the increase in migrants has exhausted the nation’s traditional practice of hospitality. The Tohono, especially on the Mexican side of the reservation, fear the cartels and human smugglers who operate there. They often threaten and intimidate tribal members and have made the desert extremely dangerous.

In 2008, in an effort to deter increased levels of migration and control the despoilment of tribal lands, the Baboquivari District passed a resolution prohibiting the existence of water stations for migrants. Since non-tribal members are not allowed on the reservation without permission, humanitarian organizations like Humane Borders and No More Deaths are not allowed to provide aid in the area. Currently, it is estimated that forty-two percent of migrant deaths occur on the reservation; in July 2010 alone, 44 of the 59 migrant deaths in Southern Arizona were on the Tohono O’odham reservation. Yet the migrants keep coming.

Return to the 2011 Workshop page: Immigration on the US-Mexico Border