national
Federal Agents Clear Arizona Encampment and Remove Ancient Tree for Border Wall
Just the facts
More than 80 federal personnel, including Customs and Border Protection tactical agents, cleared an activist camp in Lochiel, Arizona, that had sustained a tree-sitting occupation for over 70 days. Contractors from Fisher Sand & Gravel subsequently deployed heavy excavators to topple the ancient cottonwood tree to allow the installation of 30-foot steel secondary barrier panels in the San Rafael Valley. Officers used an elevated crane lift to extract an occupant from a canopy platform and arrested multiple protesters who entered a closed roadway near the international boundary. The section under development forms part of an expansive federal barrier project across Arizona that environmental organizations state traverses a vital migration corridor for regional wildlife.
Why this is news
Federal law enforcement personnel and construction crews cleared an activist encampment in Lochiel, Arizona, to fell a 200-year-old cottonwood tree situated along the border wall alignment.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.