Yes, using saltwater is making a bad situation worse.
Much of the desert you just need to add fresh water and you can grow things. If you salt the land in the process, that's not going to be the case for long, even with brackish-tolerant species.
"Despite its aridity, the Mojave (and particularly the Antelope Valley in its southwest) has long been a center of alfalfa production; fed by irrigation coming from groundwater and (in the 20th century) from the California Aqueduct." [1]
We grow things in the desert, much of California would be dry desert land if not for simple irrigation - California grows a massive proportion of our food.
Much of the desert you just need to add fresh water and you can grow things. If you salt the land in the process, that's not going to be the case for long, even with brackish-tolerant species.
"Despite its aridity, the Mojave (and particularly the Antelope Valley in its southwest) has long been a center of alfalfa production; fed by irrigation coming from groundwater and (in the 20th century) from the California Aqueduct." [1]
We grow things in the desert, much of California would be dry desert land if not for simple irrigation - California grows a massive proportion of our food.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_Desert#Climate