Tribal Leaders Warned Border Wall Construction Would Disturb Native American Remains. They Were Right.

ProPublica · Ryan Devereaux · 2026-11-02 10:00 UTC

Contractors erecting a second border wall along the southern boundary of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona have bulldozed a path for equipment, uprooting plants and unearthing human remains.

Lorraine Eiler stood in the blazing August sun, surrounded by reporters, to offer a warning. The Trump administration was racing to erect a second border wall across Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, southwest of Tucson. If the bulldozers came, she said, they were bound to disturb the final resting places of her family and Hia-Ced O’odham tribal ancestors.

“People used to live here,” the 89-year-old said.

Fifteen days later, her fears were realized.

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