An aerial view of shipping containers filling a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Yuma, Arizona, on Sept. 27. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, has built a double-stack shipping container barrier along part of the U.S.-Mexico border as a last resort before he resigns in January, AP said. We are reporting.
Big picture: The Ducey Wall effort began in western Arizona in August, when a Republican governor tried to fill a gap in former President Trump’s border wall, according to the Associated Press.
- “Five wide gaps in the border wall near the Yuma area and businesses are now closed,” Ducey said in a press release in August.
- As of mid-last week, the cranes have carried more than 900 metal containers, double-stacking them up to 17 feet high, according to the Associated Press.
State of play: The construction of the border has come under scrutiny from federal and local officials, who say the project being conducted on U.S. land is illegal.
- Arizona sheriffs said they would block the placement of shipping containers this weekend, calling Ducey’s move “illegal dumping.”
- According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway said, “The area where they’re stationing the containers is entirely on federal land, a national forest.”
- “Neither state nor private property, the federal government said [is] illegal activity. Likewise, if I see someone assaulting, murdering, or stealing a car on public property in my county, I will file criminal charges against them. ”
Ducey sued federal authorities Over objections to the project in October, it claimed that the land in question belonged to the state.
- A U.S. attorney responded to Ducey’s complaint by saying, “The border issue with Mexico is difficult, but trespassing and damaging U.S. soil…is not the solution.” I urged him to decline.
- Environmental activists have also condemned the construction, saying it could interfere with natural water systems and endanger local species, according to the Associated Press.
note: This year saw a record number of encounters between border agents and migrants at the border.
What to see: Incoming Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who takes office in January, said last week that she was exploring “all options” to remove the shipping containers, according to the Associated Press.
- “This sort of thing is just a political stunt that doesn’t really solve the border problem,” Hobbes said in November before being elected.
Deeper… Biden to end ‘remain in Mexico’ border policy following court order