Construction could begin later this year on just under 20 miles of new border wall between Arizona and Mexico, depending upon the funding.
Members of the Arizona State Senate, in a 16 to 12 vote, have given their approval to a bill calling for the appropriation of up to $700 million to build what is being described as “physical border fence.”
Meanwhile, the Arizona House has voted in favor of a similar initiative, although with a smaller $150 million allocation.
Construction on the border wall stretching from Texas to California, and obviously including Arizona, was curtailed in the first weeks of the Biden Administration. Up to that point, around 460 miles of the wall had been built.
That work included the building and installation of 18- to 30-foot-tall steel bollards anchored in concrete, along with motion sensors, cameras, and lights.
Of that total 460 miles constructed, Arizona saw 226 miles of new fencing and existing barricade replacement, compared to New Mexico, which saw just under 100 miles of construction, Texas with 55 miles, and California with 77 miles.
Senate Bill 1032, sponsored by State Senator Wendy Roger, has now been sent to the Arizona House for consideration.
For his part, Governor Doug Ducey has set aside up to $50 million in funds in the new fiscal year budget for border security.
Some of the areas most likely to see work could include land that belongs to the Tohono O’odham Nation, part of which is in northern Mexico.
Late last year the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced a plan to complete construction on various gaps in the wall that have already been built in Arizona and the other states hugging the border.
If approved in final form by the legislature, the $700 million will go to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Funds for the construction and administration of the new barrier.
By Garry Boulard
