Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) — Container walls on the Arizona-Mexico border in the Coronado National Forest will be torn down within days. The Arizona Military Emergency Agency (DEMA) says, “Barring unforeseen circumstances, the last shipping container at the Cochise County border should be removed by the end of the week.” So far, DEMA says the project has cost taxpayers $139.8 million. It is expected to rise until the last container is removed. DEMA officials say the containers are being transported to state facilities in Yuma and Tucson “until plans are finalized.”

Southwest biodiversity conservation advocate Russ McSpadden says the Coronado National Forest walls have already been torn down. “His four-mile shipping container, which was placed in a national forest, has been completely removed from the border,” he said. “I thought it would be later, like February or March.”

Former Governor Doug Ducey ordered the crew to stack the containers and secure the border. After a legal battle with the federal government, the two sides agreed to tear down the wall. McSpadden says the crew destroyed trees and parts of the habitat of endangered animals. “This is a wonderful place to be recreated by the people of Arizona and people across the country and around the world,” McSpadden said. “Having the shipping container there was a huge waste of money.”

Governor Katie Hobbs has opposed the project from the beginning. Her administration sent us the following statement on Wednesday:

We reached out to the Coronado National Forest. They warned people to stay away from areas where forest workers were working. They didn’t respond on Thursday.

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