May 2, 2026 - Tucson, AZ – Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva released the following statement after a Department of Homeland Security contractor damaged a 1,000-year-old cultural site, the Las Playas Intaglio, during border wall construction on the Tohono O’odham Nation. This is not the first instance a cultural site on the Tohono O’odham Nation has been damaged.

“Bulldozing a 1,000-year-old sacred site is not an accident – it’s the predictable result of rushing forward with a (second) wasteful border wall. It is a blatant act of disrespect and an unacceptable violation of tribal sovereignty, traditions, and the ancestry of the O’odham people,” said Rep. Grijalva. “This is not just temporary damage to land – it is irreparable destruction of a sacred place tied to the O’odham people’s history, identity, and spiritual practices, passed down across generations. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a sacred site has been desecrated by border wall construction – and it will not be the last until the federal government takes its legal obligation to tribal consultation and following environmental laws seriously.”

“The Tohono O’odham Nation has been clear: these walls divide their communities, desecrate sacred land, and do nothing to make us safer. DHS must immediately halt construction, fully investigate this incident, and be held accountable for the damage already done. Instead of wasting $46 billion on a harmful and useless second border wall, this Administration should be investing in real solutions that strengthen our communities.”

Source: Congresswoman Adelita S. Grijalva