Don’t build that border wall

This week Congress will be voting on a budget to appropriate $1.6 billion towards funding a southern border wall, which is very disappointing to say the least.

Congress should not approve funding a wall at all. Nor should it construct a wall that will cut through tribal land. In order to do this, the U.S. government would have to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of affected nations, as prescribed by Article 19 of the United Nations (“UN”) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

It is important to note that the National Congress of American Indians and the Legislative Council of the Tohono O’odham have both passed resolutions opposing the construction of the wall.

So why is building a border wall so important to this administration? $1.6 billion could be better spent on education, health care, solving our environmental problems or creating more jobs.

Did we forget that Mexico helped us in our time of need duri ng hurricane Katrina? Did we forget what it meant to be a good neighbor? We cannot continue hurting our relationships with countries around the world, especially with those that aid us in our times of need.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Don’t build that border wall."