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

Native American human remains were found on 8 September in soil disturbed by border wall contractors at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona. The discovery confirmed an earlier warning from Hia-Ced O’odham elder Lorraine Eiler, and raises concerns about damage to ancestral burial sites as construction continues.

The National Park Service said a University of Arizona assessment confirmed the remains were human and consistent with tribal cremation practices. Under federal law, work linked to such a discovery must stop while tribes are consulted; Eiler’s family is delaying reburial until nearby construction ends, fearing further remains may be uncovered. The discovery adds to tensions following damage to a 6,500-year-old Indigenous etching and plans for a 62-mile wall across the Tohono O’odham Nation.