Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey will not comply with the Biden administration’s request to remove a section of border wall. We need a permanent wall and since that isn’t coming anytime soon, the governor saw fit to put containers in its place. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said the state was violating federal law by having the containers on federal land and on a Native American reservation.
Arizona protects its own
The Biden administration can’t be counted on to get the job done. Ducey tweeted out, “Arizonans cannot — and will not — wait for federal bureaucrats to do their job and secure the border. We’re taking action now.”
The letter from the Bureau of Reclamation said, “The unauthorized placement of those containers constitutes a violation of federal law and is a trespass against the United States. That trespass is harming federal lands and resources and impeding Reclamation’s ability to perform its mission.”
Arizonans cannot — and will not — wait for federal bureaucrats to do their job and secure the border. We’re taking action now. https://t.co/rsrns8uwlB
— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) October 19, 2022
Arizona said why it was done
Ducey’s communications director, C.J. Karamargin spoke with the Washington Examiner,
“The suggestion by any federal bureaucracy, that we take action to make the border easier to cross, is completely unacceptable. Gov. Ducey takes the responsibility to protect Arizona very seriously — that’s why we put up these containers. What they’re suggesting, that we take them down and make Arizona less safe, is a nonstarter.”
It’s not happening. Ducey posted before and after pictures of the border wall. He got the job done in just days.
The thousand-foot gap in the border wall near Yuma is closed.
BEFORE: AFTER: pic.twitter.com/b32XQHXFMN
— Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) August 15, 2022
Arizona addressed the need quickly
Ducey did an executive order in August that told the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to start emergency construction on a 1,000 foot gap in the border wall near Yuma. The Biden administration lifted the “Remain in Mexico” policy just days prior. Ducey drew the line.
“Arizona has had enough. We can’t wait any longer. The Biden administration’s lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty. For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border. Time and time again we’ve stepped in to clean up their mess. Arizonans can’t wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.”
