“All we can do is pray” – these are the words of Native Americans at the sight of asylum seekers who enter the territory of the United States and, incidentally, their land. They say of themselves that they are a people of the desert who have lived there for thousands of years and now they are facing a problem they have never experienced before. Material from CNN television.
The sacred land of the Tohono O'odham people is bearing the brunt of the migration. “My heart tells me to have compassion, but it's hard to look at the piles of garbage, the damage they're doing,” says Verlon Jose, a Tohono O'odham chief.
The reservation is located on the southern border of the United States. It is surrounded by an inconspicuous fence. Such a fence is used for cattle. Verlon Jose – the tribal chief – claims that a border wall in this place would be an affront to their sacred land and they do not need more barriers.
It's different with migrants. The cartels, in their desire for profit, take advantage of the fact that the border is less secured in this place. “They lead people to the border and tell them to keep going. They follow these instructions. Every day I see whole groups moving this way. After a few days, they end up in this tent,” says Verlon Jose.
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“Business that doesn't follow the rules”
The local community has agreed to allow the Border Patrol to set up a temporary shelter for those waiting for their cases to be processed. The migrants who are there are mostly from Mexico. Even Jose is surprised by how far they have come. He believes the cartels are behind it. “It's a business. A business that doesn't follow the rules,” says the tribal chief.
That's why the tribe is cooperating with the Border Patrol and customs officials. They have agreed to allow the services to set up surveillance towers with high-resolution, long-range cameras on their land. Searches are conducted both from the air and on the ground. Border patrol often intervenes to stop threats and rescue lost migrants.
Chief Jose fears that unless the U.S. Congress can unite across party lines, migrants and cartels will continue to enter the country through his sacred land. “It has a huge impact on us. We are not here to blame anyone for this situation. I think we all share a responsibility. I will do everything I can to protect this land. This is all we have – blood, sweat and tears. I have nothing else,” he says.
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Main image source: CNN