The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – October 5, 2026

Ancient “Grandmother” Cottonwood Cut Down Along U.S.-Mexico Border After 70-Day Tree Sit

Ancient “Grandmother” Cottonwood Cut Down Along U.S.-Mexico Border After 70-Day Tree Sit

Masked federal agents moved into a protest encampment near Lochiel, Arizona, Monday morning, clearing demonstrators from an area where activists had spent 70 days trying to prevent an ancient cottonwood tree from being cut down for construction of a new border wall.

Protesters say agents arrived with guns drawn and entered private property without showing a warrant. Video from the scene captured demonstrators repeatedly questioning agents as they moved into the encampment.

“This is private property,” one protester can be heard shouting. “You crossed into private property. You are breaking the law.”

Screenshot from @tierralibre_noborders

By the end of the operation, the ancient cottonwood protesters called the “Grandmother” tree had been cut down.

The tree had become a symbol of a months-long campaign against construction of two layers of border wall through the San Rafael Valley, one of the remaining unwalled stretches of the Arizona-Mexico border.

For 70 days, a coalition of environmental and human rights activists, Indigenous leaders and forest defenders maintained an encampment around the tree. Protesters held sunrise ceremonies at its base, sharing prayers and songs as part of their effort to prevent its removal.

Video published from Monday’s operation shows a protester being removed from the tree’s canopy shortly before it was cut. Two agents wearing camouflage, helmets and tactical gear can be seen in a raised metal basket among the tree’s branches. The protester appears stretched across the basket with their bare feet hanging over its edge.

When the cottonwood finally fell, screams from protesters could be heard across the valley.

Documentary filmmaker Cori Erin, who was on the ground Monday, described an atmosphere of heartbreak following the operation.