This article was originally published by AZPM.
An unusual scene unfolded Monday in a remote corner of Cochise County, where the Department of Homeland Security is building a double border wall.
That afternoon, several protesters congregated around heavy duty construction equipment in an attempt to halt wall construction. In a nod to some of the endangered species that live in the San Rafael Valley, they arrived in costume — dressed as jaguars and a yellow-billed cuckoo.
Rally for the Valley, a conservation coalition, published footage of the exchange.
At one point, a protester donning the beak of a yellow-billed cuckoo sits inside the bucket of an excavator. Seconds later, a protester dressed as a giant cat clings to an already-existing section of border fence.
“We’re dressed as jaguars,” bellows one protester, “because this is jaguar country.”
In the video, border wall contractors with Fisher Sand & Gravel watch from afar, apparently hindered by the interruption.
Shortly before 1 p.m. Monday, Cochise County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and arrested three of the protesters, who were booked into county jail on charges of disorderly conduct.
“See you guys later,” a protester shouts in the video as the group is led away from the construction site. “We’ll be back!”
In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office said the protesters had trespassed onto the construction site, and “refused to comply” when asked to leave.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels added that his office would continue coordinating with federal authorities “regarding law enforcement and public safety concerns associated with activities in and around restricted construction areas.”
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carol Capas told AZPM the three individuals made an initial appearance in front of Bisbee Justice of the Peace Janus Poppe Tuesday morning, and were released on their own recognizance.
The region has seen border walls built — and removed
Monday’s encounter — which occurred just east of the Santa Cruz County line — marks a continuation of local efforts to hinder border wall construction along the San Rafael Valley.
Farther west in Santa Cruz County, in the Lochiel area, protesters have been occupying a 200-year-old cottonwood tree along the border for nearly seven weeks. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies arrested one protester in July, though county records show the case was closed two days later. Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway, whose deputies made the arrest, has publicly criticized border wall construction and the Trump administration throughout his time in office.
The San Rafael Valley — a stretch of rolling grasslands — has seen similar tensions before. In 2022, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey spearheaded the construction of a shipping container border wall in southwestern Cochise County.
Ducey’s makeshift border wall, much like the current construction, had its fair share of opponents. That year, as temperatures turned frigid in November and December, protesters gathered along the construction site, dubbing it “Camp Ocelot.” Following a legal battle with the Biden administration, Ducey ultimately agreed to remove the wall, which cost $100 million in state funds to build.
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