Border Wall Rising In Arizona, Raises Concerns Among Conservationists, Native Tribes

Construction has begun on President Trump's border wall between Arizona and Mexico, and conservationists are furious. The massive barrier will skirt one the most beloved protected areas in the Southwest — Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, recognized by the United Nations as an international biosphere reserve.

On a recent drive along the borderline, a crew was transplanting tall saguaro cactus out of the construction zone.

"There may be misconceptions that we are on a construction site and just not caring for the environment," intones a voice on a video released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the project. "We are relocating saguaro, organ pipe, ocotillo..."

But a half-mile away, a big yellow bulldozer was scraping the desert clean and mowing down cactus columns that were likely older than the young man operating the dozer.

Customs and Border Protection later said 110 desert plants have been relocated, and unhealthy ones get bulldozed.

This scene illustrates why environmentalists