Howard Fisher
Capitol Media Services
PHOENIX — Federal officials want Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to abandon his plans to remove and even place shipping containers he ordered to be placed along the border near Yuma. increase.
In a letter to the head of the Deucy Agency on Friday, Jacklyn Gould, the regional director of the Reclamation Service, said the state’s “unauthorized placement of containers on federal property” and that of the Cocopa Indian tribe It said it violated federal law. It’s an illegal invasion of the United States.”
“That trespass is damaging federal land and resources and impeding our ability to carry out our reclamation mission,” she told Tim Roemer, director of the state’s Department of Homeland Security and the Emergency Management Division. I wrote a letter to Allen Clark, who is leading the group.
Gould said it wasn’t just a matter of the federal government wanting to take Ducey’s shipping containers off its property.
She said Customs and Border Protection had already awarded contracts to close two gaps in the wall previously built on Reclamation Authority land near Morelos Dam. Gould said there are also plans to fill other gaps in the region.
In other words, the state’s placement of containers is hampering the federal government’s own plans.
“We have been asked to consult with the Cocopa Indian Tribe and work with them on recycling so that the Customs and Border Protection project can proceed without unnecessary delays.” I would like ”
Ducey press aide CJ Karamargin said the administration was considering the letter.
However, he also referenced the timing of Gould’s statement that there are plans to close the gap.
“They’ve been talking about taking action for months,” Callamage told Capitol Media Services.
“The only thing they could do is write letters,” he continued. “We closed a gap of 3,800 linear feet in two weeks.”
Karamargin, however, sidestepped the question of whether it was legal for the state to put trailers on state land.
“The federal government has neglected its responsibility to protect its borders. That’s why Arizona acted,” he replied.
Gould’s letter makes no prior announcement of plans by the governor to place containers elsewhere along the border.
One place that currently seems to be out of the picture is Nogales and its environs.
Nogales International reported that dozens of shipping containers that had been piled up in the National Guard armory awaiting deployment are now missing. Karamargin said this was not surprising as the container usage plan was dependent on the terrain.
“The governor said his state would use a border barrier if needed,” he said.
“Mountains and rocky areas may not be the best places to transport containers.
But Karamagin said Ducey was “looking at other areas where it might be appropriate.”
“There are gaps along the border because of the Biden administration’s decision to stop construction,” he said.
Karamargin said the state includes Cochise County, which is stockpiling containers near the Whetstone community north of the Sierra Vista. So far, no one has moved to the border.
The roots of the issue go back to an executive order Joe Biden issued on his first day in office in 2021.
But the administration in July approved the completion of a border wall near Yuma, one of the busiest checkpoints for illegal immigrants. But that was after pressure was applied to close the gap.
Ducey announced Yuma’s plans about a month later. And he was able to put the container in place before federal action.
Even Kelly said she understood why the governor went ahead with the process.
“I understand the governor’s feelings about this and why he wanted to do it,” the senator said during a media correspondence in August. be.”
But Gould said the containers had to be moved in order for federal projects to move forward.
State funding for the project comes from a $564 million Border Patrol Fund approved by lawmakers earlier this year. Specifically, it includes $335 million for states to build and maintain border fences and purchase or install border security technology.
Ducey estimates the cost of filling Yuma’s gap with containers at about $6 million. But more recent figures put him closer to $13 million for the entire project.
The action drew praise from local officials, who said the migrant flow through gaps in the fence was overwhelming local resources.
When Ducey announced the plan in August, Yuma Mayor Doug Nichols said: “Yuma’s community has the ability to handle thousands of people across the border who are in need of food, shelter and medical services. there is no infrastructure for
Other uses of the Border Patrol Fund funds include $20 million for state games at the new Cochise County Jail, $30 million for the new State Emergency Operations Center, and more than $53 million for sheriff’s deputy compensation.
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