Shipping containers that were being installed along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona to fill in gaps along the unfinished border wall are being removed following a lawsuit from the federal government and Katie Hobbs (D) officially becoming the governor.
Arizona agreed to remove the shipping containers because they had been placed on federal land. The containers have been placed to prevent illegal crossings into the state in areas such as Yuma and Coronado National Forest.
AZ: I watched these go up in August and am now watching them come down 👀
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) January 3, 2023
Contractors aren’t wasting any time out here in Yuma—They’re certainly hustling to dismantle this barrier efficiently. pic.twitter.com/HEURtLpWdC
NewsNation reports the state had paid around $100 million to install the containers and it will now cost $76 million to remove them. Border Patrol agents say while illegal crossings increased when they were in place, they were forced to go to one area to gain access to the United States, near the Cocopah Reservation. Now with the ad-hoc wall gone, the gaps will appear once again and agents will have to respond to multiple areas.
Environmental groups opposed the shipping containers at the border because they said the placement had a negative impact on animals who regularly cross the U.S.-Mexico border and plant life.
The removal of the improvised border wall comes at the same time Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector were shot at from Mexico on Monday. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated no one was injured and police in Mexico did not find any suspects.
