Saturday 13 August 2022 06:22 AM 'We can't wait any longer!' Arizona Governor Doug Ducey starts building $6m ... trends now
Arizona began moving in shipping containers to close a 1,000-foot gap in the border wall near the southern Arizona farming community of Yuma on Friday, with officials saying they were acting to stop migrants after repeated, unfulfilled promises from the Biden administration to block off the area.
'Arizona has had enough,' tweeted Doug Ducey, the Republican governor of the state, who is up for re-election in November.
'We can't wait any longer. The Biden administration's lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty.'
The Yuma sector of the border, 126 miles long, has seen an almost 300 percent increase in 'border encounters' - migrants arrested by Customs and Border Protection agents - this year, compared to the same time frame in 2021.
The spike is the highest recorded by any of the nine sectors: two in California, two in Arizona, one in New Mexico and Texas, and four solely in Texas.
Yuma has seen the third highest total number of 'encounters' this year - beaten only by Del Rio and the Rio Grande sectors, both in Texas.
Ducey said his state had tried to convince the White House to do more, but was frustrated.
Shipping containers are seen being moved into place along the U.S.-Mexico border in the Yuma sector
The bright orange and yellow shipping containers are seen being moved into place on Friday
'For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border,' he continued.
'Time and time again we've stepped in to clean up their mess.
'Arizonans can't wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.'
The move by Arizona comes without explicit permission on federal land, with state contractors starting to move in 60-foot-long shipping containers, stacking two of the 9-foot-tall containers on top of each other early Friday.
They plan to complete the job within days, and the containers will be topped with four feet of razor wire, said Katie Ratlief, deputy chief of staff for the Republican governor, Doug Ducey.
The state plans to fill three gaps in the border wall constructed during former President Donald Trump's tenure in the coming weeks, totaling 3,000 feet.
Governor Doug Ducey is seen in the Yuma sector of the U.S.-Mexico border last year
'The federal government has committed to doing this, but we cannot wait for their action,' Ratlief said.
John Mennell, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, said the agency had just learned of Arizona's action and 'is not prepared to comment at this time.'
The move is the latest pushback by a Republican-led border state to what they contend is inaction by Joe Biden on immigration.
It was immediately prompted by the announcement of the end of the 'Remain in Mexico' program that was announced this week, Ducey's top lawyer, Annie Foster said.
That program
