The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to begin building a portion of a wall in Yuma, Arizona hugging the U.S./ Mexico border.
The project is the result of a settlement reached in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona requiring the dismantling of a shipping container border wall erected several months ago by the State of Arizona.
That wall, with a $95 million price tag, was designed to see the use of up to 3,000 containers covering a 10-mile stretch of the border that includes Yuma.
The dismantling of the container wall, according to the court agreement, must be completed by January 4, and done “so as not to cause damage to the United States’ lands, properties, and natural resources.”
That wall is made up double-stacked containers 22 feet high and weighing 9,000 pounds, with the containers linked together and welded shut.
Litigation has surrounded the project almost from the start with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey suing the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in October, seeking court approval to complete the work. In early December, it was the U.S Justice Department that went to court, arguing that the container wall was being built without the “required permits or other authorization constitutes unlawful trespasses.”
Ducey earlier maintained that the container wall, which he described as a temporary solution, was filling gaps in the border that were “wide open for dangerous cartel activity and illegal entry into our nation.”
By Garry Boulard
