A months-long protest against President Donald Trump’s border wall ended Monday when Border Patrol agents raided a camp in southern Arizona and crews cut down a centuries-old cottonwood tree activists had been occupying. The tree, known by protesters as the “grandmother tree,” stood near Lochiel in the San Rafael Valley, very close to the U.S.-Mexico border. Activists had been maintaining a round-the-clock sit-in for more than 70 days after three nearby cottonwood trees were previously removed to allow for planned border wall construction.
Footage posted online from the scene shows the tree being taken down while agents stand close to the tree. It shows the tree was just meters away from the incomplete border wall. According to the Washington Post, activist groups said multiple people were arrested during the operation on Monday.
In a statement made to Arizona Luminaria, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that it has now removed all four cottonwood trees in Lochiel that were marked for removal. High volumes of unauthorized crossings often result in substantial amounts of trash, pollution, and damage to natural resources, including sensitive habitats and agriculture.” This is a developing story and will be updated.
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