Arizona halts construction of container wall on US-Mexico border

The state of Arizona announced that it has ceased the placement of metal containers on the border with Mexico and assured that it was willing to “cooperate” in their removal, while the US government today filed a lawsuit against it for the installation of the barrier on federal land.

“The placement of containers as a barrier was always a temporary solution until the federal government erects a permanent solution,” said Annie Foster, general counsel for the governor’s office Doug Duceyin a letter sent to the United States Department of Justice.

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Foster indicated in the letter that the placement of the containers has ceased and that shipping agencies Arizona and contractors are “ready” to assist in their removal when the federal government closes the existing gaps in the border wall.

A long line of shipping containers forms a new wall on the US-Mexico border, in the San Rafael Valley, Ariz., Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“The federal government owes it to Arizonans and all Americans to come up with a timeline for the start of construction to close the gaps left in the border wall and details of how the border will be secured while construction takes place,” he pointed.

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Ducey’s office denies allegations that the barrier poses a serious danger to public safety and harms the environment.

He claims that after President Joe Biden ordered a halt to the construction of the border wall public lands in Arizona “quickly” they became “rivers” of clothing and objects abandoned by migrants who continually cross the border from Mexico irregularly.

He also denies accusations that the barrier interferes with the work of federal agencies, assuring that federal officials Customs and Border Protection (CBP) they have said the container barrier has helped them retake control of the region.

Last August, Republican Ducey ordered the placement of the containers at the Yuma borderwhere there are at least ten gaps between wall segments.

The placement of the containersstacked one above the other to a height of more than 15 feet, spread to other areas within Cochise County, prompting protests and criticism from environmental advocates.

Ducey ends his term on January 2, when Democrat Katie Hobbs, who defeated her Republican opponent, Kari Lake, in the November elections, will be sworn in.

The announcement of the cessation of the placement of the barrier comes as the US Department of Justice and environmental defenders today filed a lawsuit in federal court against the state of Arizona for the installation of the containers on national lands.

The complaint maintains that “illegally and without authorization, Arizona has not removed containers from land owned by the United States or over which the United States has beneficial interest.”

“This must be the beginning of the end of Doug Ducey’s illegal assault on national wilderness and endangered wildlife,” Russ McSpadden, a representative for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “We hope that a judge will quickly put an end to this inhumane and senseless publicity stunt,” he added.

Source: Elcomercio