Former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s five-month effort to fill the gap along the U.S.-Mexico border with shipping containers will cost Arizona taxpayers more than $200 million .
It will cost more than $76 million to tear down double-stacked shipping container barriers in Yuma and Cochise counties after Ducey bowed to federal pressure and agreed to remove the makeshift barriers at the end of December. It takesThe bill to remove containers was first reported by Capitol Media Services.
According to a state contract with Florida-based emergency management firm AshBritt, removing shipping containers at Coronado National Forest in Cochise County will cost about $57.2 million.
The cost of demolition will add to the initial $95 million announced for the construction of the wall in Cochise County.
Another estimated cost to move shipping containers from the Sierra Vista staging area to Tucson is approximately $9.8 million.
In August, Ducey began filling a gap in the border wall near Yuma. About 3,000 feet there were blocked with shipping containers. According to Ducey’s office, the project was projected to cost him $6 million, but as of September he had ballooned to nearly $13 million.
Removing the container near Yuma will cost approximately $9.3 million. Additionally, labor and transportation costs associated with shipping containers in the Nogales region are estimated to be up to about $20.5 million per state contract.
Ducey’s orders led to a patchwork barrier of hundreds of giant metal shipping containers dotted along the Arizona-Mexico border, sometimes welded together with oddly shaped pieces of metal.
A day after the barrier was completed in August, two stacked shipping containers were found lying down near Yuma. Days after the barrier was completed, photos and videos of people climbing the containers went viral on social media as hundreds of migrants bypassed the barrier near Gadsden daily to turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents and apply for asylum. rice field.
Millions of dollars to build, maintain and remove shipping container barriers will come from a $335 million pot within the Arizona Border Patrol Fund. Funds were allocated for “construction, management and maintenance of physical border fences.”
Governor Katie Hobbs’ administration did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
In a state speech on Monday, Hobbes criticized the politicization of immigration and the “political stunts” used to fuel media attention.
Hobbes invited Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas to the Arizona-Mexico border to meet with law enforcement, nonprofits, and community leaders to discuss comprehensive immigration solutions.
more:Wildlife advocates say Ducey’s new border barrier threatens fragile Arizona habitat
“Arizona voters said in November they didn’t want or need a political stunt designed solely to generate sensational television coverage and social media posts.
The contract to build and remove the barrier was awarded to AshBritt without the usual bidding process. AshBritt won the contract because their solution was “the quickest due to the urgency of the job,” according to her Megan Rose, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Administration.
In an email, Rose said Ashbritt was recommended to the Arizona Military Emergency Department by an emergency management partner in Arizona.
In June 2021, Randal Perkins, Founder and Chairman of AshBritt, said: paid to the Federal Election Commission A $125,000 settlement after the company contributed to America First Action, a super PAC in support of former President Donald Trump.
AshBritt donated $500,000 to America First Action in 2018 while under contract with the Department of Defense in violation of laws prohibiting government contractors from donating to political committees.
America First Action eventually returned the donation to AshBritt.
When asked if management was aware of any contributions prior to awarding the contract to Ashbrit, Rose said that with the awards management system checked prior to the signing of the contract, the company had no active or inactive exclusions. said no.
Collapsed container:Governor Ducey’s Shipping Container Barrier Collapses Along Border
Critics call border barrier a ‘landscape scar’
Critics have dismissed the shipping container initiative as a “political stunt” that squandered taxpayer dollars. Environmental advocates have criticized the Coronado National Forest barrier, which they say has damaged protected land and cut off important migratory routes for jaguars and ocelots.
“It’s really tragic to think that all this money was wasted,” said Emily Burns, program director for environmental group Sky Island. You will be seen,” he said. Alliance.
“This is a staggering amount of money that could have been spent on many other things.”
Barnes said more than 100 oak trees were felled and bulldozed during the first mile of border barrier construction in the Coronado National Forest. The placement of shipping containers in the area has widened the border road significantly and blocked the wash and creek bed with sediment, she added.
Robin Silver, co-founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, similarly blamed the barrier for its detrimental environmental impact, and millions of dollars may have been spent to support other national agencies. emphasized that there is Silver argued that the funds could have been used to improve Arizona’s immigration system by expediting asylum procedures and increasing the number of immigration officers.
“The $200 million spent in Arizona will go a long way toward alleviating some of the misery that[immigrants]are going through,” Silver said. “They are humans. They should spend their money there, not the racist stunts.”
Lawsuit filed:Federal Government Files Lawsuit Over Border Shipping Container Wall
Ducey’s barrier project was a multi-month effort
Ducey’s decision to remove the shipping container came about a week after the US Department of Justice sued him and the state of Arizona on December 14th.
In the lawsuit, the federal government argued that the placement of shipping containers along the border damages federal land, threatens public safety, and prevents federal employees from performing their duties. was filed on behalf of the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.
Biden administration officials criticized the barrier as a useless stunt in a virtual interview with the Arizona Republic when the lawsuit was filed.
“Stacking shipping containers for photography is not a serious solution and does not help,” said one management official.
The Biden administration’s lawsuit against Republican Ducey is just the latest in a tangled battle between the former governor and the federal government over shipping containers.
In October, Ducey filed a lawsuit seeking to allow states to continue placing shipping containers along the border gap after federal agencies tried to stop them from being placed. Ducey’s case was the culmination of exchanges between state and federal officials debating whether the container violated the law.
That same month, Ducey ordered the placement of about 3,000 shipping containers along more than 10 miles of land in the Coronado National Forest south of the Sierra Vista. Protesters camped out in front of construction workers for days, causing Cochise County shipping containers to quickly halt construction of his barrier.
The Border Patrol will begin construction this week to fill the gap near Yuma, with completion scheduled for summer 2023, according to US Customs and Border Protection. A gap near the Morelos Dam will be filled with a temporary mesh fence and vehicle gate.
“The safety and security of our workforce, law enforcement partners, and communities is our top priority,” Patricia McGurk-Daniel, Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the Yuma Sector of the Border Patrol, said in a written statement. “The Yuma sector is dedicated to working with our state, local and tribal counterparts to secure our country’s borders and ensure a multi-layered approach to protecting our communities.”
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorcas authorized CBP to seal a gap in the border wall near the Morelos Dam in July, addressing operational implications and immediate life and safety risks.
About two weeks later, Ducey issued an executive order allowing states to build border barriers on federal land, citing the Biden administration’s inaction. Eleven days later, the 3,820-foot gap was filled with his 130 shipping containers.
Got news tips or story ideas about the border and its communities? Contact reporters at josecastaneda@arizonarepublic.com or reach out to us on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
