Arizona will dismantle a makeshift border wall of shipping containers after a long-running dispute between Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and the Biden administration.
The state spent more than $80 million to plug holes in fencing along the border with Mexico. But the Biden team sued over the project, accusing the state of damaging the ecosystem and operating illegally on federal land in the Coronado National Forest.
Mr. Ducey’s office and federal officials struck an agreement Wednesday that will “remove all previously installed shipping containers and associated equipment, materials, vehicles, and other objects” near Yuma and the national forest, according to Fox10 Phoenix.
Arizona officials argued the project was a temporary, yet needed, solution because the Biden team wasn’t doing enough to secure the border.
Environmental groups sued over the container wall, saying it divided important land for species that traverse the area.
Two of the shipping containers were tipped over in August, prompting the governor’s office to claim sabotage and adding to the controversy.
The deal coincides with angst over an uptick in border crossings ahead of the likely removal of Title 42, a pandemic provision that allowed the U.S. to turn people away at the border.
The Supreme Court temporarily paused plans to lift the policy this week. Some Republican lawmakers are pushing to include the policy in this week’s federal funding bill, which is needed to avoid a government shutdown.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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