Biden sues Arizona for placing a ‘container wall’ on the border with Mexico

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is at the center of controversy over his measure to curb the entry of immigrants.

The US government sued the governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey, for placing containers reinforced with barbed wire on the border with Mexico to prevent the entry of migrants. According to the complaint, that state government would be invading federal land.

The lawsuit, filed before the US District Court, occurs three weeks before the Republican governor leaves office and Democrat Katie Hobbs, winner in the past midterm elections, takes office, collects AP.

The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Agriculture and the Forest Service. In the text, he asks the court to order Arizona to stop the placement of containers and remove the 3,000 that are already in the San Rafael Valley, located in the southeast of Cochise County.

“Reclaiming officials and the Forest Service have notified Arizona that is trespassing on federal land“says the complaint.

More voices against

The recently elected Democratic governor has stated that she will stop the advance of the containers on the US southern border. For her, the action of her predecessor is a “political trick” and “visual border”, according to KJZZ.

For his part, the president of the Natural Resources Committee of the House of Representatives, Raul Grijalva, wrote on his Twitter account that one is needed “immediate action“to remove the structures”illegal and useless” of “federal and tribal lands”.

In their view, the governor “wasted” $95 million, “blocked off wildlife corridors and created a dangerous situation with unauthorized armed security personnel along the southern border”.

“Ducey is determined to leave the office with a mess and force someone else to clean it up,” he concluded.

In addition to these opinions, the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior had previously claimed the governorship of Arizona, according to the local outlet KGUN 9.

Similarly, the Center for Biological Diversity also stated its intention to sue the Ducey Administration because, according to the federal Clean Water Act, it is illegal to block the flow of streams, as the aforementioned structures are doing.

“These giant pieces of trash are blocking the streams that feed the San Pedro River, an oasis in the desert that is in danger of drying up,” said Robin Silver, co-founder of the center.

A “temporary solution”

In response to the allegations, the governor’s office sent a letter to the Justice Department stating that the boundary zone barrier was “intended to be a temporary solution, until the government finds a permanent solution.”

The letter states that the erection of the fence “has ceased” since talks began for its removal and that the Arizona contracting agencies “are ready” to proceed with its removal.

The text also demands the publication of the schedule to know when the construction of the wall will begin, devised by former President Donald Trump, and the details of how the border will be secured.

For the outgoing governor, “the number one public safety risk and environmental damage come from the government’s inaction to secure the border.”

The origin

On August 12, Ducey issued an executive order to “immediately fill the gaps in the Yuma, Arizona border wall,” days after President Joe Biden announced the removal of the ‘Stay in Mexico’ policy that had been introduced by his predecessor, according to the Government Office page.

On that occasion, the regional president said that the border communities were the “Gateway to the USoverwhelming law enforcement, hospitals, non-profit organizations and residents.”

His plan to close the breaches in the border area began with the placement of 60 double-stacked containers, reinforced with barbed wire on top.

In October, the Republican governor filed a federal lawsuit before the US District Court for Arizona against the Executive in order to allow that entity to “defend itself” against the migratory flow.

“Arizona is taking action to protest on behalf of our citizens. With this lawsuit, we reject the efforts of federal bureaucrats to reverse the progress we have made,” the Government Office wrote.

Earlier, the Bureau of Reclamation sent Arizona officials a letter telling them the structures were illegal, the AP reported.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, in October there were 204,273 migrant detentionsof which 50,000 They were made on the Arizona border.

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