Cocopah Indian Tribe joins federal government, wants removal of shipping containers on tribal land

The Cocopah Indian Tribe says they'll keep working with law enforcement to help secure the border

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A representative from the Cocopah Indian Tribe gave a statement on the federal government asking Arizona to take down the shipping containers on tribal land along the Yuma border.

"We believe the Bureau is taking the necessary and appropriate action to resolve this issue. Beyond that, we will continue working side-by-side with local, state, and federal law enforcement on securing the border," stated Jonathan Athens, the Director of Communications for the Cocopah Indian Tribe.

The state of Arizona placed shipping containers along the Yuma border that the Cocopah tribe says it's on sovereign land in August to fill in the gaps.

Two months after the placement, the U.S. Department of Interior stated that Arizona and Governor Doug Ducey broke the law by adding 122 shipping containers along the border.

The Federal government also sent a letter asking Arizona to take down the shipping containers.

Arizona then responded back to the federal government that the "containers will stay in place."

State Representative Tim Dunn released a statement on October 20 saying he agrees with Governor Doug Ducey's border gap solution.

“I’m encouraging the governor to push back on Biden’s request to remove the containers. Those containers provide additional operational control,” Dunn said.