A 200-year-old cottonwood tree, known as the “grandmother”, has been destroyed near the US-Mexico border to facilitate the construction of Donald Trump’s border wall. This action followed a months-long effort by protesters to save the tree.
Land defenders began a tree-sit in late July in Lochiel, Arizona, occupying a platform in the tree’s canopy for over 70 days. On Monday at dawn, more than 80 federal agents reportedly swarmed the camp, making arrests and preventing access to the cottonwood. Contractors with Fisher Sand & Gravel then used an excavator to push over the tree.
Another land defender, who had scaled a second ancient cottonwood tree on the border with Mexico, descended late on Friday. This followed the removal of their platform, food, and water supplies by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexican police on Thursday.
The agents involved included border patrol officers and a special forces tactical unit called Bortac. The tree-sit began after contractors reportedly knocked over three other ancient cottonwood trees nearby on 27 July.